The Journey
by fuzzySlippers1005
Summary: Junior year is an adventure full of many twists and turns. Arnold is diagnosed with a rare disease and everyone wants to help the boy who has helped everyone else, but only one person will be able to get him through this journey. Forewarning, I love fluff. Therefore, this will be fluffy. In memory of Ben Breedlove.
1. Chapter 1: Same Song and Dance

Arnold woke up with a startle. He immediately heard the beeps of machines around him and noted that he was in a hospital room. Again. Sigh. He really hated when this happened. It's been happening for the past four years now.

When he awoke, he saw his mother with his little brother, Edward. His parents named him after their most trusted friend, Eduardo, from San Lorenzo. Arnold's parents finally came back to Hillwood during Arnold's seventh grade year. That was right around the time he was diagnosed. He was so thrilled to have them back and to find out that he had a little brother as well. Miles and Stella's plane had crashed all those years ago, but made it out alive and finally made enough money to get another plane out of there. Now Arnold was 16 and a junior in high school while Edward was 11 in sixth grade.

Anyway back to the situation. Edward was fast asleep in his chair but Arnold saw his mom perk up when she saw he woke up.

"How are you feeling, honey?" she asked.

"I'm fine, mom," Arnold said as he sat up in bed," Just a little light-headed," he said as he grabbed at his head.

His mother just gave an understanding look and patted his hand.

"Where's Dad?" Arnold asked.

"Oh he's around, I called his cell but he didn't answer. He's probably just busy."

Miles was a doctor there at the Hillwood Community Hospital. Edward woke up from all the talking and looked at Arnold.

"Hey," Edward said with a smile.

"Hey," Arnold smiled back.

Arnold and Edward have been pretty close as brothers, despite their age gap. When they first arrived back to Hillwood, Arnold was taken aback because he didn't know how to feel. He missed out on so much of his brother's life and he felt like a stranger to him; Edward didn't care though. He just wanted someone to play with and was happy when his parents had told him he had a brother he could play with. It didn't take long for them to get used to each other. With Arnold's kind personality, they became the best of brothers instantly.

Edward had a darker skin tone from being in the jungle sun and his father's head shape with green eyes and light brown hair.

The door opened slowly revealing a smiling Miles.

"How's my favorite patient doing?" said Miles while patting Arnold on the head.

"Hey, Dad. I'm okay." replied Arnold. Miles and Stella shared a quick kiss and Miles ruffled Edward's light brown hair.

"Hey, buddy," Miles smiled at him.

"Hey, Daddy," Edward said with a big smile and gave him a hug.

Then Miles walked back towards the bed to Arnold.

"Okay, I'm just going to do a couple of checks to see how you're recovering," Miles said. He started to listen to his heart beat with his stethoscope. He did a couple of other little checks and wrote them on his clipboard.

A nurse came in opening the door slowly holding a big vase full of beautiful flowers.

"These are for a... Mr. Arnold Robinson?" she said as she looked at the card again. **(A/N: Yeah I made up his last name because Shortman is too mainstream :p)**

"Yes, thank you," Miles said as the nurse set the vases on the bed stand next to Arnold.

Arnold looked over at the card to see who they're from but there was no name.

"Wait!" he said as the nurse was heading out the room. "Who are these from?"

"I'm not sure they were just left on the front desk, but no one saw them get dropped off," the nurse explained.

"Oh okay, thank you," Arnold said as she exited the room.

"Do you have any idea who they're from?" Stella asked.

"No. I mean, I just fainted at school so I'm sure a lot of people saw me get taken here," he looked at the clock, "but it's only 2 o'clock so they would all still be in school," Arnold had a puzzled look on his face.

"Maybe Arnold has a girllllfrienddd," laughed Edward. Miles and Stella both giggled at that.

Arnold's cheeks got hot. He has only had one girlfriend, in 8th grade. Her name was Kathy. Things were going okay until she cheated on him with a senior. That freaked Arnold out and ended it right there. Ever since then, he never really had a real girlfriend. He took some girls to the movies or out to ice cream, but he didn't really trust girls as much after Kathy.

He also let go of Lila after elementary school. They were still good friends, she was one of the gang. But he just stopped liking her as much as he used to and it was a lot less awkward when they would hang out with everyone.

"Oh please. Knock it off, munchkin," Arnold replied to Edward's comment.

Arnold's three family members all started laughing at that. Then eventually he chimed in as well while glancing over at the flowers wondering who would have sent them to him.

**A/N: I don't want to give away his disease yet so please keep reading to find out!**


	2. Chapter 2: New Beginnings

Chapter 2

The next morning at school, Arnold was throwing his books in his locker when Gerald approached him. Gerald was wearing blue jeans and a red sweatshirt. He finally cut his hair since he played football and basketball now and it would always get in the way. It was the middle of January which was pretty cold in Hillwood. Arnold was wearing regular blue jeans, a button-up blue, short sleeve shirt with a gray zip up jacket over. **(A/N: Yeah, Arnold's classy :p)**

"Hey Arnold," Gerald said, "How was the doctors yesterday?"

"It was okay, just the same thing. I only fainted so it wasn't as big a deal."

"Yeah, I would have gone to the hospital with you but I had this important test next period. Not to mention basketball practice after school."

Arnold slightly cringed at that, "I know Gerald, it's okay, don't worry about it." Arnold slammed his locker shut and started to walk to class. Arnold hated whenever people brought up them playing a sport considering he couldn't participate in any because of his condition.

"Hey sorry about that man, I forgot," Gerald apologized as he caught up to Arnold.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it. Hey, you want to know what's weird? Yesterday when I woke up, some nurse delivered me a big vase of flowers, but there was no name on the card. I can't figure out who it's from."

Gerald thought for a minute and said, "Heck, I don't know. Maybe you have a secret admirer," he said with a playful nudge.

"Ugh, that's what Edward said! But I can't figure out who would give them to me. I thought maybe it was you, but I'm sure you would have at least put your name. And I don't really think we're on that level."

They both laughed at that.

"Well I should get to class I still have to finish some stuff up since I didn't get the chance to do it all yesterday. I'll catch you at lunch," then they did their signature handshake.

"See ya later, bro!" Gerald said as he walked toward his first period class.

Arnold walked in to his class about ten minutes before the warning bell would ring. His teacher was already sitting at his desk grading papers. He looked up and smiled at Arnold, "Morning, Mr. Robinson."

"Good morning Mr. Fisher," Arnold said as he walked in.

He was about to walk to his seat when he saw someone else in the room. Her face was hidden as she was writing furiously in a little journal. He decided to approach her and maybe say hi. But as he got closer to the girl, he was able to recognize who it was. When he got to the front of her desk he said, "Hey, Helga."

She looked up suddenly, and as she did, Arnold got the butterflies. She wore her hair down now and when she looked up to him, some of it fell in front of her left eye. Her mouth formed a slight pout. _Oh my gosh, you're so beautiful,_ his inner thoughts said.

Helga took a turn for the better once high school started. Starting in sixth grade, she took up soccer pretty well. Once her parents, especially Bob, saw her great talents, they never missed a game and cheered her on all the way. She was on one of the best teams in the country in only 8th grade.

She's been playing competitively for five years now and Helga is the star of the soccer team at Hillwood High, earning a starting varsity spot as a freshman. She always has the most goals, most assists, and earns some type of award at the end of the season. She's happy now that she has earned many trophies and awards that proudly go up in Bob's trophy room right alongside Olga's. Even with all of her awards and praise, she never brags at all, which makes her even more liked by her peers.

She then sat up and closed her notebook to look at Arnold. She smirked and said, "Hey Football Head, how's it hanging?"

"I'm good," he said as he took the seat next to her. "What was that you were writing?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing. Something for... school, yeah. An assignment, heh." Helga hated how nervous she still got around Arnold. She wasn't as obsessed with him as she used to be but she still had some sorts of feelings towards him.

"Hey Arnold, can I ask you... what happened yesterday? Unless you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

Arnold smiled at that. Ever since she's been having a better home life, she's been a better friend to everyone. Arnold always knew she was a good person deep down, and was glad she was finally showing more of it without trying to hide under her rock all the time.

"Oh, right. It's not a big deal, I just fainted." No one besides Gerald knew of his condition. He didn't like telling other people because he didn't want sympathy or any special treatment from others.

"Oh, were you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just...forgot to eat breakfast," he said smiling hoping she would buy it.

She stared into his eyes for a second like she knew he wasn't telling her the truth. But then she gave him a sympathetic look and said, "Well I'm glad you're okay. Did you eat anything today?"

"Uhh, I had some chex mix..." Arnold said.

Helga dug into her back and pulled out a granola bar. "Here, take this," she said holding it out to him.

"But Helga, that's yours. I'll be fin-"

"Take it. Just in case. I already ate and we don't need any more football-headed frenzies around here," she chuckled lightly.

Arnold smiled as he took the granola bar from her. Their hands touched briefly and he felt a little spark. They were so soft. He wanted to touch her hand again, but that would be creepy.

"Thanks Helga. That's really nice of you," he beamed at her.

She just shrugged and faced forward to the front of the class now instead of directly at him, "It was no big deal. Just don't get all mushy on me, granola boy."

They shared a small laugh. Helga and Arnold had became better friends over the years since she got over her bully stage. After she felt more appreciated by her parents, she seemed to be more happier and having a better attitude. However, no matter how much she mellowed out, she still had her sense of humor and would always joke around and call people their nicknames from elementary school that she always had.

As their small laugh came to a close they both found themselves looking into each other's eyes. Helga's eyes sparkled and Arnold couldn't look away. He wanted to grab her hand again, but didn't want to scare her off...

Suddenly the bell rang and they both jumped. Helga packed her bag up. "Well I gotta go. Hope you feel better. See ya in the funny papers, Arnoldo!"

"Bye, Helga," he said smiling as she exited the room.

Did they just have a moment?

He continued to stare at the open door where the girl he was just talking to left. He kept thinking about the way she looked when she looked up at him. Her beautiful blue eye just seemed to sparkle up at him. Now that he thought about it, she really did look beautiful. She has always had a nice body, soccer kept her in shape. She didn't always wear pink anymore but she had a nice sense of style as well. She was cute, no doubt about that.

He thought back to her face again. That pout... it was so cute. The way her lips stuck out just a little. They looked so soft. He just wanted to...

Woah, back up. Was he really just thinking of kissing Helga? Helga G. Pataki? Even though she mellowed out she was still a strong, independent girl who could kick his butt any time.

Why was he just getting these thoughts about her now? There was a little bit of hope and want at the bottom of his stomach that just wished those flowers were from her. But he didn't want to get his hopes up.

Why would she? Before today, they haven't really talked in a while. Sometimes they saw each other in the hall but other than that, nothing really. He found himself wanting to talk to her again, see how everything's going for her. He was sure it was fine but still, it's nice to ask.

Did she have a boyfriend? Ugh, why was he thinking those thoughts again! _Okay, calm down, _he thought, _you need to control your breathing._

_And talk to Helga,_ his subconscious said.

"Doh!"

**A/N: Lol silly Arnold needs to get his thoughts together.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Journey

Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is kind of short but it explains the title better :)**

Helga was walking down the hall after second period. In between second and third period, they have office hours which is like a study hall period. The students are able to go to any open class they want and do any work they need to do.

Helga caught site of Phoebe as she was walking back towards Mr. Fisher's English class. She loved going in that class when she felt the urge to write. Especially yesterday when...

"Good morning, Helga," Phoebe said with a smile interrupting her thoughts. Phoebe was wearing skinny jeans with a blue sweater.

"Hey Pheebs, I'm going to head to Mr. Fisher's class if you want to come with me or not. You don't have to." Helga was wearing gray jeans, a white tank top with a blue zip up jacket over.

"I would be happy to accompany you Helga. Did you hear about what happened to Arnold yesterday?" asked Phoebe.

"Yeah it was right at lunch! Everyone saw. I talked to him this morning, he said he just didn't eat breakfast and fainted," explained Helga to her best friend.

"Oh, poor Arnold. Hey I didn't see you after school, where were you?"

They got to the entrance of the English classroom when Helga replied, "Oh, um I just got a call from my dad saying he needed me home early, heh.."

They took their seats.

"Oh, was there any special reason?"

"I don't know! Bob's just weird like that!" Now Helga was starting to get defensive. Ugh she hated when her old ways would come back. _Come on Helga, old girl. Pull yourself together. Phoebe just cares if you're all right or not._

"I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to-"

"No Phoebe, I'm sorry. Let's just forget it."

"Forgetting."

Helga was getting her little notebook out when she heard two boys come in. Oh great, Arnold and Tall Hair Boy. Arnold stopped talking to Gerald when he saw Helga and just stared for a second. She stared back when he gave her a smile. She didn't want to, but she found herself smiling back. Ugh, why was he so cute?

Arnold took the seat in front of Helga while Gerald took the seat in front of Phoebe.

"Hey ladies. Can we sit here?" Gerald asked smoothly.

"Whatever floats your boat," Helga remarked.

Arnold thought this was the perfect time to talk to her again. He turned around in his desk.

"Still working on that assignment?" he said glancing down at her notebook.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Helga was still feeling defensive from earlier.

"Sorry Helga, I was just wondering," Arnold turned back around in his chair to face the front of the class. He saw Gerald and Phoebe hitting it off well talking about some nonsense.

Instantly Helga felt bad. She put her hand on his shoulder, "Wait, Arnold. I'm sorry. It's just a private thing I like to do. I didn't mean to snap at you."

When her hand made contact with his shoulder, he froze. It was only the middle of January so he was wearing a thick jacket but he was still able to feel her warmth on his skin.

He turned around to look at her again. Her eyes were shining at him with honesty and depth. Her mouth formed that pout again. Those lips...

"Uh, that's okay. I didn't mean to intrude," he said.

"Did you eat that granola bar?" Helga asked.

He smiled at her, "Yeah it was good, thanks." Oh, that reminded him, he needed to take his pills. He dug in his backpack for them. Crap, where were they? He felt his chest tighten from the instant stress. He needed to go to the nurse. They have an extra supply just in case.

"Hey guys, I forgot something in my last class. I'll be right back," Arnold said to his friends. He got up, said some words to Mr. Fisher, and left the classroom hurriedly.

Helga looked at Phoebe and Gerald. They had the same puzzled looks on their faces. They continued their conversation while Helga opened her notebook again. She read over the last poem she wrote this morning:

_What do you do when the one you love_

_Is struggling with something they can't be free of?_

_My beloved, I only wish to guide you_

_Toward a place where you can escape to_

_To rid you of this cruel spell is what my heart desires_

_So you can soar to whatever you aspire._

_I won't reveal I know your one and only secret._

_It's something I keep as safe as I do my favorite trinket._

_I can no longer take seeing you on a gurney,_

_My only reason in life is to get you through this journey._


	4. Chapter 4: Feels

Chapter 4

After school, Arnold walks home and picks Edward up at P.S. 118 on the way home. He really needed the walk today to organize his thoughts. It was a crisp afternoon with a little chill but the sun was shining creating a beautiful day in Hillwood.

_Helga... Helga why_ _can't I stop thinking about you? You're so... lovely. I wonder what you're doing right now. Probably at soccer practice. What if I waited until after her practice to talk to her? Should I even tell her my feelings? No, I should wait until tomorrow to see if I'm still feeling this way. Yeah, tomorrow..._

When he got to his former elementary school, he spotted Edward talking to his little group of friends. There was three girls and two guys standing with him. He was telling them something, maybe like a funny story because when he was done they all laughed. Edward was a real jokster. He always liked to be in the limelight and make people laugh.

Edward caught site of Arnold and started walking over towards him after saying bye to his friends.

"Wait, Edward!" one of the girls said as she ran over to the brothers. She was a petite girl with blonde hair and some big green eyes.

"Oh, hey Sam. What's up?"

"Um, thanks for letting me wear your jacket today," she said with a shy smile while giving it back to Edward.

"Oh yeah, no problem! It was cold today," he smiled back at her.

Sam looked up at Arnold awkwardly, "Well see ya tomorrow!"

"Bye, Sam," he continued to stare at her with half-lidded eyes as she walked back toward their group of friends.

Arnold just laughed and dragged him along, "Seems like someone had a good day today," he chuckled slightly.

"Isn't she pretty!? Her eyes! They're so big! And green! Like.. like the Green-Eyed People! Or Reptar!"

"Haha calm down Romeo, geez when did you get so romantic?" said Arnold.

"Since girls got so pretty!"

Arnold just laughed. Then he thought about Helga. She was pretty. She had a lot of muscle on her legs from soccer. It wasn't enough to make you barf, but they looked good. And strong. Arnold wondered if they were as soft as her hands.. and lips... those legs.. he just wanted to caress them...

_Ugh stop getting dirty thoughts about Helga! She's a woman who deserves to be treated right._

That moment right then, he wanted to be her boyfriend. He wanted to hold her hand in public, pull her close, hug her amorously, and give her a loving kiss. He wished she was standing next to him right now, walking home with him. He looked to where he wished she was standing and just saw Edward. Edward just smiled really big up at him.

_Oh gosh, this is going to be a long day._

The next day at school, Arnold was getting really anxious. He was waiting for Gerald at his locker. He needed to talk to another guy about this. His hair was flopping all different ways, his t-shirt was a little wrinkled and his gray zip up jacket was pulled lazily over his shoulder.

Arnold was bumming it today.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Gerald showed up.

"Dang what happened to you? It looks like you didn't get any sleep last night."

"I didn't!" said Arnold, "I need to talk to you."

"What's up?"

"Say you had feelings for this girl... but you're not completely sure. But she's really pretty, and she's nicer and she's really mysterious and-"

"Cut to the chase, Arnold"

"Okay, look. I think I like this girl. And I reallyyy want to be her boyfriend. Should I tell her? Or just wait to confirm my feelings?"

Gerald thought for a moment. "Hmm, maybe you should take her out on a date first to see if you really like her. Then after if things go good, then go for it man."

"A date! That's such a good idea! Thanks Gerald!" Arnold said running down the hall without waiting for a response from Gerald.

"Mmm mm mm. He's a bold kid," Gerald said to no one while shutting his locker heading to first period.

During lunch time, Arnold didn't feel good. His chest was tightening and he wasn't supposed to take more pills at this hour. He decided to call his mom since she worked from home.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom, it's me, Arnold."

"Oh, hi sweetie. Are you okay?"

"I don't know my chest just got really tight again and I feel like I'm going to pass out," he explained to his mom.

"Okay honey, just sit tight and I'll come to pick you up."

Arnold was trying to find Gerald to tell him he was going to just go home. He was turning the corner but then ran into someone.

"Oof!"

Arnold looked at who he ran into. Helga, of course. They were always running into each other.

"Geez, some things never change huh, Football Head?"

"Yeah, sorry Helga," he got up and offered her his hand to help her up.

"What were you in such a hurry about anyway?" Helga asked.

"Oh, I was just trying to find Gerald to tell him I'm going home and was going to ask him to pick up my homework. But I have to go right now and I can't find him! Do you think you could find him and tell him for me please?"

"Well, sure. Of course," she smiled at him.

He smiled back with a half-lidded gaze, "Thanks Helga. Well I gotta go. See ya tomorrow!"

_Ugh I've got to get home quick. It's going to happen any second._

He thought back to his talk with Helga.

_Crap! The date! _

He can't believe he forgot to ask her! Dang it, can he tomorrow? Don't they have a soccer game tomorrow? _Ugh great you lost your perfect opportunity for a while._

Meanwhile, he made his way to the front of the school parking lot when he saw his mom pull up. He got in the car.

"Are you feeling all right, honey?" his mom asked.

"I'm fine, I just didn't want another scene at school again," he replied.

"Okay well then let's get you home."

The car ride was silent but Arnold didn't even notice since his thoughts in his head were speaking so loudly.


	5. Chapter 5: Bumps

Chapter 5

Arnold awoke later that day at about 5:30. His mom was waking him up. When he got home, he immediately went to his bed to take a nap to settle his nerves.

"Honey, you have a friend here with your homework," his mom said to him.

"Oh, okay. Is he downstairs?" Arnold asked.

His mom just laughed, "Not exactly."

Now Arnold was confused. Stella led him down the stairs of the boarding house to the living room. Helga was sitting there with a folder in her lap. She looked up and smiled at him when he entered the room. She was wearing sweat pants and a sweatshirt since she just came from soccer practice and had her pink bow tied around her ponytail.

"I'm going to start dinner, Arnold," Stella said while heading toward the kitchen.

Helga got up off the couch and they just stood there in a content silence for a second.

"I couldn't find Geraldo so I took the liberty of getting your homework for you," she said while handing him the folder.

_She got my homework for me? That's so sweet! Wasn't I supposed to remember something right now? Oh yeah!_

"Wow thanks Helga that was really nice of you," he smiled at her, "It seems like you've been doing a lot of nice things for me lately. I feel bad really..."

Her cheeks started to turn rosy. "It wasn't a big deal. I would have brought it sooner but I had practice after school. Sorry."

_Was she really apologizing? She's so cute!_

"Still I feel like I should make it up to you.." he said with a bit of a sultry tone.

She just gave him a confused look.

"How about this weekend? I'll take you to a movie, and we can eat dinner after... I mean if you want." Arnold was starting to get anxious. _Say yes, say yes, say yes, say yes, say yes..._

She looked right into his eyes, and he looked back. She broke the stare by looking down at her shoes for a second, then she looked back at Arnold, "Wow, um, sure Arnold. That sounds... fun," she said with a smile.

He just gave her the brightest smile ever, "Great! Well I'll text you later and we can figure out which date and time."

She laughed a little at his excitement, "All right Arnold, sounds good. Well I should head home. Don't want my folks to worry. Don't forget to text me!" she said as Arnold walked her out the door.

"I won't," he smiled at her.

She looked up at him for another second. Arnold was about six feet tall while Helga was only 5'8". She was pretty tall for a girl, but Arnold was still a head taller than her.

"Bye, Arnold," she whispered. Then she went on her tippy toes to give him a light peck on the cheek. Then she walked quickly down the steps and back towards her house.

Arnold just stood there for a moment trying to remember his name. His cheek felt hot where her lips touched. He was right, they were soft. He closed the door and walked back to the living room where there was a laughing Edward.

"Arnold got kissed by a girllllllll! Hahahaha!" he shouted.

"Be quiet!" Arnold chased Edward up the stairs when he tackled him and they ended up having a tickle fight.

While the boys were having their little fight, Helga's thoughts were going wild in her head during her walk home.

_Did Arnold really just ask me? On a date? What should I wear? What should I do with my hair? Oh my gosh I have to call Phoebe!_

Helga pulled out her phone and called Phoebe.

"Hello?"

"Phoebe! Oh my gosh guess what!? Okay I can't wait for you to guess! Arnold asked me out on a date!" Both of the girls squealed.

"Oh my gosh Helga, that's great! How did he ask you?" Phoebe asked.

"Well he left school early today and needed Gerald to give him his homework, but he couldn't find Gerald so we ran into each other, literally, and he told me to ask Gerald. Then I looked all around and couldn't find him so I was just like, 'okay I guess I'll get the football head his homework.' So after practice, I went to his house to give him his work and he just asked me! And then... and then... I kissed him! On the cheek." Helga had to take a breath after her long explanation.

"Wow Helga! That's so exciting! What will you wear?"

"I don't know, that's where you come in! Will you help me Phoebe? This has to be perfect."

"Of course Helga. I'm honored you would ask me," Phoebe smiled into the phone.

"Psh who else would I ask? All right Pheebs gotta go do my homework now," Helga said as she was walking up the steps to her house, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"All right Helga, see you tomorrow!"

They both hung up as Helga entered her house feeling more happy than she has in a while.

The next day, Arnold was excited to see Helga. He was still feeling elated that Helga accepted his date offer. It was Thursday morning and Arnold was wearing tan pants, a white collared shirt that was tucked in underneath his light green sweater. He was exchanging books in his locker before the bell would ring. Honestly, he was just trying to buy time until he saw Helga come in the school doors.

When the door opened, he expected to see Helga, but it was Lila. She was walking over to him so he thought this was a good way to kill some time before Helga came.

"Hello, Arnold," Lila said.

"Good morning, Lila," he said with some pep in his voice. He was just feeling good today.

"How are you doing?" she asked politely. She was wearing blue jeans and a dark green sweater with her hair in a ponytail.

"I'm doing really well actually! Things are going good," he said with enthusiasm and a wide smile.

"Well that's great. Would you mind walking me to my locker?" she looked up at him with her green eyes.

Arnold really wanted to wait up for Helga but he would feel like a jerk if he said no to Lila.

He mentally sighed and put on a smile and said, "Sure, let's go."

While they were walking, neither of them said anything and it was awkward because he felt like he should be talking. But they finally got to her locker and started a conversation.

"So, what's your first period?"

"I have math, Pre-Calculus," she said with a giggle.

Why was she giggling? That kind of annoyed Arnold.

"Oh, that sucks having math first period," he said with little emotion in his voice.

Lila's locker was still in the first hallway so he was able to see when Helga walked in the doors, and the light just seemed to glow around her with the sun shining from behind her.

He couldn't help but stare. She was wearing blue skinny jeans, a white, long sleeve shirt, and a purple scarf. Her hair was down with loose curls at the end, and to top it off, she was smiling. Arnold thought she looked beautiful.

However, when she caught sight of Arnold with Lila, her smile immediately dropped and she just continued to her locker without a wave or anything to Arnold.

Lila and Helga were friends, nothing bad ever happened between them, but she just didn't like seeing Arnold with her since Helga knew that he used to like Lila.

Arnold felt bad and Lila was still doing her thing at her locker. He could see she was just taking her time and he really wanted to go over to talk to Helga.

"Hey, Lila, I'll see you around okay," he said adjusting his backpack on his shoulder to rock the one strap.

"All right, Arnold. Goodbye."

As Arnold was walking towards Helga, she could already see him through her peripheral vision. She just continued to exchange books and not look at him.

When he reached her locker he tried to be smooth and leaned his right arm against the lockers and had his left on his backpack strap.

"Hey, Helga," he said smiling at her.

"Hey," she said still not looking at him.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Nothing," she said shutting her locker, walking to her first class.

Arnold wouldn't give up though and followed her.

"You can tell me Helga."

"I said nothing's wrong," she said with a bitter tone.

As they were turning a corner, Arnold grabbed her arm and pulled her to the corner of the hall where there was just a dead end of classes.

He spun her around to look him right in the eyes with a little bit of a push so she would know he meant business.

"Tell me," he said with a softness in his voice but hardness in his face. His emerald eyes collided with her deep blue ones creating an unknown connection between the both of them.

Helga got kind of scared at Arnold's assertiveness, but she had to admit, it was kind of hot.

She didn't like feeling attacked though so she had to show her tough side. Her brows angled down and she was now the one getting in his face.

"I said nothing, Football Head, so just leave me alone," and she tried to walk away but he caught her arm again.

"Seriously, Helga, I'm not dumb. Is this about the date? You don't have to go if you don't want to." He really hoped it wasn't that because he was looking forward to it but he wanted to get this out of her.

Obviously, Helga felt the same way and her expression softened as well. She was so happy he asked her, and she wasn't going to dump it away just to look tough. It was one of the things she learned as she matured.

She sighed before she started and said, "Look, it's not the date. I do want to go with you. It's just, I know you used to like Lila and, I don't know, I just feel insecure when you talk to her. I guess. Like you won't want to go with me and you'll want to go with her or someone else," she said while not making eye contact with him.

However, his eyes didn't stray away from her face the whole time.

_How could she think I don't like her? And she's insecure around me? Crap._

"Helga, I don't want you to feel that way. I think you're really great and I don't even think going on a date with anyone else would be as fun as it willbe with you," he finished with a smile.

She paused before saying, "You think it's going to be fun?" looking up at him.

He just laughed and put his hand up to her face on her cheek because it felt natural. "I know it's going to be fun."

She didn't even tell him to back off when he touched her. She felt like it was all natural too.

"Why? I mean, I'm just a Helga..."

He was just laughing again and pulled her in to his chest so her head was leaning on it. He continued to talk when he was holding her.

"Helga, seriously? Everything we do is an adventure and you're so fun to be around. I just like how we can never predict what's going to happen when we're together because you can't plan fun."

Now she was the one laughing and she pulled away to look at him.

In her head she could only think how lucky she was right now. She thought these conversations with Arnold would only happen in her head when she created them.

As opposed to Lila, these silences between Arnold and Helga weren't even awkward, they were just content because they knew they didn't have to say anything to one another.

And right then, Helga wanted to lean up and kiss him. But she wouldn't because she didn't want to jeopardize what they have already built so far. But little did she know, Arnold was thinking the same thing at that moment with both of them smiling at each other.

"Thanks," she said now looking away from him.

He laughed again and let her out of his arms.

But then his tone got a little more serious.

"And you know, you really shouldn't feel insecure. You're pretty, smart, friendly, funny, and just a great person. And don't even deny that you're not because I know you are. And don't sell yourself short either. You're great and I just wish you would think so too."

Helga felt tears pricking at her eyes and she refused to look at him. She didn't want him to see her like this. She was never used to this much attention so she didn't really know how to handle this situation.

"Thanks," she said softly, still looking down.

He put his hand underneath her chin so she would look up at him.

"And keep your chin up, beautiful," he said and she instantly smiled at that which made him smile.

Then the bell rang causing kids around them to suddenly appear. Or maybe they were there the whole time and neither of them noticed.

Helga felt awkward since everyone was probably noticing them now, but Arnold didn't care.

He moved his hand to the side of her face and said, "Bye, Helga," and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She just smiled and turned red and he laughed at her shyness.

"Bye, Arnold."


	6. Chapter 6: What The?

Chapter 6

After school at soccer practice, Helga was met with sixteen other girls crowding around her interrogating her with so many questions.

"You're dating Arnold?"

"Since when?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone!"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"You guys are so cute!"

They were crowding around her. Helga didn't feel overwhelmed, she found this all amusing how girls just love to feed off this drama stuff.

"OH HELLLLGA!"

_Oh God, not her..._

"Helga! I didn't know you had a boyfriend!"

Haley was co-captain of the soccer team with Helga and Haley was nice and all, but she was just really annoying. She thinks she owns the field and she's dated about ten guys in high school. She isn't really snobby or anything, she just doesn't have a good grasp on reality. She could be understanding sometimes, but most of the time, Helga just tried to stay away from her. She was also a junior and played defense.

And let's not forget about that high strung voice she has.

"I don't," now she was talking to the whole group of girls. "We're not together, we were just talking. So just drop all the rumors, okay? We're just friends," she said with a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"Well geez, save some guys for the rest of us if you're not even dating them!" said Madison with a laugh, a sophomore midfielder.

"Yeah, yeah geez. I'm such a catch allllll the guys want me. Can we just warm up now!"

All the girls laughed and they started doing their warm up laps around the field.

_Glad that's over with. I really don't need any drama right now. I have to focus, we have a game on Saturday._

Meanwhile, after Arnold and Edward returned to the boarding house, Arnold was so giddy he just ran straight up to his room for some peace, and also so he could secretly have his fan girl session about Helga. **(A/N: C'mon we all need to fan girl sometimes ;D)**

He jumped on his bed looking up at the sky out his window ceiling. The only thing he could make out of the clouds were bows.

_Helga..._

Arnold replayed their conversation that happened that day and closed his eyes and smiled with a content sigh. The rest of the day consisted of shy glances from her and his eagerness for their date this weekend. They never planned out the details of their date. He should text her. It was 3:30 so she was still at practice, but he would just text her and wait for her reply until after practice.

**Arnold:** Hey Helga :) I know you're at practice but when you're done, just text me so we can figure out the details for this weekend :)

Arnold had the butterflies when he texted her for some reason. She would text back, right? Of course, they were pretty good friends. And they've gotten closer over the past couple days.

Well, he might as well do some homework while he waited for her reply. He had history, math and science homework. _Great the hardest classes always give homework, _he thought.

His phone suddenly buzzed and his heart race went up thinking it was from Helga.

**Lila: **Hello Arnold :) I was wondering, are you busy right now?

What the poop could she want. But he replied.

**Arnold: ** Yeah I'm just doing homework. Why what's up?

He really hoped it was nothing because he felt like if he kept hanging out with Lila, Helga would find out and be crushed.

Lila texted back almost instantly.

**Lila: **I reallyyy need help on my science homework and you're so good at science. Can you come over and help me? :)

Arnold felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew he shouldn't but he really couldn't say no.

**Arnold: **Fine, I'll be there in a little while.

Arnold got his science book, backpack, and keys and started heading downstairs.

*Guy from Spongebob voice*: A few hours later...

Arnold wasn't thinking. All he could feel were lips on his and he heard books falling on the floor. A hand went up to tangle in his hair and a body was on top of his. He wasn't even enjoying this but he couldn't pull back for some reason.

But as his eyes were closed, he saw pink in his head and that's when his eyes immediately shot open and pushed the girl off him. He instinctively wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and addressed the girl leaning over him on the bed.

"What the hell, Lila? What were you doing?"

It looked like she was going to cry. "Arnold, I just thought that you liked me..."

"What the heck. I liked you in elementary school and now we're friends. But that's it. Why would you even do that?" he suddenly felt really disgusted and guilty at the same time.

"Well lately, I've been thinking, and I really think that I like you. A lot. You're just so sweet and kind to everyone... and I think we would be an oh so great couple," she finished with a smile.

Arnold couldn't even believe what he was hearing right now.

"Lila, I can't do this. Not with you. I'm sorry but I have to go." He pushed his way off the bed, grabbed his bag and left the house angrily, leaving Lila alone with only her thoughts to ponder on.

It was after practice and Helga had already put her sweats, jacket, and Vans on when she was waiting for her friends so they could all walk to the parking lot together. Her best friends on the team were Sydney, Nikki, and Claire. They all had their licenses except for Helga so Sydney always took her home after practice.

Sydney had dark brown hair with hazel eyes and was an outside midfielder. Nikki also had dark brown hair with dark brown eyes and played defense. Claire had lighter brown hair with green eyes and played center midfield. They were all juniors as well.

As they were walking to their cars, Helga pulled her phone out to see if she got any calls or messages. She saw one new message.

**Arnold: **Hey Helga :) I know you're at practice but when you're done, just text me so we can figure out the details for this weekend :)

Helga outwardly gasped with a big smile on her face and all of her friends whipped their heads to look at her. They saw her smiling down at her phone and as best friends, they just had to know what was up.

Claire grabbed the phone from Helga and began laughing.

"Hey!" Helga said trying to get her phone back.

After Claire read it she gasped and smiled as well while showing Sydney and Nikki the text from Arnold.

Helga already knew what was coming.

"Awwwwwww! He's so sweet! What a cutie!" said Nikki.

Helga just rolled her eyes when Sydney said, "So is it true? You guys are dating?"

Helga scoffed trying to hide it. "No! Well I guess we're 'dating.' Wait no! Well, he asked me on a date this weekend... but that's it! Nothing's official, guys," she said and secretly thankful it was getting dark so they couldn't see the blush creeping up on her face.

"How cute! You know, you guys would be such a cute couple," Claire said.

"Yeah, yeah we're so cute, can I just have my phone back!"

All three of them giggled as Claire handed the phone back and Helga stepped into Sydney's jeep.

"See ya guys tomorrow!" Helga called out to Claire and Nikki.

"See ya guys!" both Claire and Nikki said.

"So what are you going to reply to Arnold?" Sydney asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Ugh, I don't even know. Help me!"

"Well do you like him?" Sydney asked. They didn't go to the same elementary school so Sydney never knew of her deep feelings towards Arnold.

"Well, I mean, I guess. Who wouldn't? He's really sweet and cute, and he's got a nice body. And he's so caring, like when we were little, he would always try and help everyone out, even the weird people. He's just super friendly and I... yeah, I like him," Helga admitted while looking down at her hands.

"Awwwww how cute! Yeah Arnold seems really nice. I remember earlier this year when we were taking SATs in October, we were partners for our science project and he told me that him and some group were going to get bagels before the SAT and he gave me his number and welcomed me to join. He's super nice," Sydney said.

"Yeah that sounds like typical Arnold," Helga laughed.

They were just pulling up to Helga's house. Sydney said, "You know, I hope he makes you happy, Helga."

"Thank you, so much," Helga said and gave her a hug.

"No problem," Sydney smiled. They pulled apart and Helga grabbed her soccer bag and backpack.

"See ya tomorrow, Syd!"

"See ya! Good luck with everything!" Sydney said with a wink.

_Oh gosh... I still need to reply to Arnold, _Helga thought as she entered her house.

"Helga, is that you?" A raspy voice called her from the trophy room, which was semi-full of Helga's trophies now as well.

Helga walked over to the room where her father was sitting on his chair. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to catch up. You've been so busy lately we haven't gotten the time to talk so much."

Helga was touched, "Oh yeah well, I've just been busy with homework and soccer and stuff, you know."

"Yeah, you sure are making me and your mother proud! Getting those good grades and making all those goals, that's what the Patakis are all about!" Bob said with his fist pumped in the air.

Helga just laughed lightly, "Yeah well things are going pretty good. We have a game this Saturday at 10."

"_This _Saturday? Aww girl, you know I'd love to come but I have a meeting," Bob explained to her.

"That's okay. I think Phoebe's coming and she usually brings some other people."

_Maybe Arnold would want to come..._

"Well that's good." Bob said interrupting her thoughts, "Who are you guys playing?"

"St. Mary's. They're our rivals. It should be a good game."

St. Mary's was the all girls private Catholic school in their city, so they were rivals naturally since they were from the same city. A lot of the girls who went there were really party-crazy since they were so tired of being dedicated to their religion all the time. They had to wear uniforms and had no boys at their school so I guess that would turn any girl into a bitch, level: St. Mary's.

"Ahh, that sounds like a good game! I know you'll give it your all and knock some bitches!"

"Dad!" Helga just laughed because it was true.

"What? I'm just saying," they were both laughing at this point.

"Well I have to go upstairs and start my homework and take a shower," she said getting up from the couch.

"All right, girl. Don't forget, the bitches!"

They were both laughing, "I know, Dad, I know. The bitches!" More laughing.

Helga climbed the stairs, put her bags down, and took her phone out again. She still hadn't texted Arnold back and was currently contemplating on what to say back to him.

**Helga:** Hey Football Head :) sorry I took so long, everyone just decided to bother me today. So about this weekend.. what did you have in mind?

But by the time Arnold got around to the message, it was almost 7:30 and she was wondering what was taking so long.

When Arnold read the message, he felt the guilt on him even more. How would he tell her? How could he tell her? The more he thought about what happened, the more dread he felt of seeing Helga and the more angrier he got at Lila. He thought she was a sweet girl who wouldn't even go near a guy. What happened?

He decided to play it off for now and tell her tomorrow after school so they could just get over it.

**Arnold: **Haha, that's okay :P well did you want to eat and watch a movie? Or we could go to the park? Whatever you want, you choose :)

**Helga: **What did you want to eat? I'm okay with anything, you're the one who asked :P

**Arnold: **How about we go to Chez Paris? I want to take you somewhere nice :)

Helga's heart fluttered at that last text. She didn't know he turned into such a romantic.

**Helga:** Haha okay Football Head. And can we go to the park afterwards? I know it's cold but it seems like a really nice idea

**Arnold: **Of course. I can't wait Helga :) don't forget to wear a nice dress to the restaurant :)

If any other guy said that to her, she would probably feel disgusted thinking that they just want to see her in a dress, but Arnold was different. She found her wanting to dress up for Arnold. She knew he wasn't a pervert, he just wanted to be a gentleman and take her out to a nice, classy dinner.

**Helga: **Are you busy Saturday morning?

**Arnold: **I don't think so. Why, what's up?

**Helga: **Well, we're playing St. Mary's and we want as many supporters as possible and it would be nice if you could come... but if you're busy it's okay.

Arnold was honored she wanted him to come to her soccer game. He's never been to a game because he tried to stay away from sports; it only made him want to play more. But watching Helga was different; he wanted to support her and he wanted to watch her play.

**Arnold:** Of course, I'd love to come :) thanks for asking.

**Helga: **Don't mention it. And feel free to bring Geraldo or any other friends you want. We want a lot of fans there. It starts at 10.

**Arnold:** All right, we'll be there :)

Helga threw her phone on the bed and headed to the bathroom to take her shower. She couldn't stop smiling.

_He's coming to my game... and he's taking me to Chez Paris for a date. I've never taken in this much Arnold before. I hope I can manage. But right now I have to focus on the game. The game... wait what did Bob say again? Oh yeah, knock some hoes. Oh wait no, he said bitches. Oh, what's the difference? I make myself laugh._


	7. Chapter 7: Dodged a Bullet

Chapter 7

**Hey I just want to thank everyone who is following and reading this story :) your reviews mean a lot to me and I'm glad you guys are liking it so far :)**

**Just so you know, Helga already knows what he has but he doesn't know that she knows. :P**

Friday morning, Arnold was losing it. He seriously couldn't take the guilt and he was going to tell her today. He was so fed up about this that he came to school wearing black sweatpants and a gray, long sleeve shirt. He didn't even bothering putting a sweatshirt on because he felt as if he didn't deserve to wear one. And he probably didn't.

He was waiting at Helga's locker before school and he made sure to get there super early in order to beat her to school. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his hair was ungroomed and messy.

But when Helga came in the doors, Arnold took one look at her and knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her. But it was his fault and he had to take responsibility for it. He just hoped she wouldn't be too mad.

She was wearing regular jeans and a blue v-neck shirt with a nice, gray jacket over.

Helga reached Arnold and said, "Nice clothes," and stuck her tongue out at him.

He didn't even care about being made fun of right now, because yesterday with Lila was all he wanted to bring up.

"Helga, where are you going to office hours today?" he said seriously.

She noticed he didn't even say anything about her comment. That's when she knew something was really wrong because Arnold always made an effort to look nice.

"I don't know, probably Mr. Fisher's. Why?"

"Can we meet up? Outside the back. I need to tell you something important."

Any good vibe Helga had at all that day immediately vanished and she couldn't help the frown that came upon her face.

"Sure," she just said not looking at him.

She didn't feel like saying anything to him so she just focused her attention on her books kind of wanting Arnold to leave. Thankfully though, the bell rang and Arnold took that as a cue.

"All right well see you in office hours. Don't forget, outside the back," he said.

"I know," she said bitterly. He was still facing her, looking down at her. But when he saw she wasn't going to look at him or give him anything else, he just sighed and walked off.

_I'm so sorry, Helga._

Helga was really getting anxious. She couldn't focus at all in her classes and she was thinking of every possible response Arnold could give her. She knew she shouldn't have fell for him that easy and now she had to deal with the consequences.

She also knew that whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good. She could tell by his body language and emotions. Well, whatever it was, she was going to find out.

The bell rang signaling all of the students to go to office hours. However, two of them would not be going in a classroom today.

Since no one is assigned a class, they are allowed to go anywhere and no one knows if you're gone or not. That's why it is so easy to just go outside without anyone noticing.

Helga walked out the back doors carefully to make sure no proctors saw her. When she went down the brick steps though, she saw who she was looking for sitting on the side of the wall. She got her poop together and just prepared for the worst and walked over to him.

He stood up when she approached him and he tried giving her a warm smile to relieve any unspoken tension.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said without smiling and no tone.

"So I have to tell you something."

"Yeah, what is it?" she said kind of annoyed. She just wanted to get this over with and Arnold couldn't blame her.

He just let out a deep breath before starting.

"Listen, Helga. I just want you to know that before I tell you, I like you a lot. I think you're great and pretty and you're just, everything."

Well that was a good way to start off since that made Helga feel all warm inside.

"But yesterday..." her frown returned, "yesterday, I went over to Lila's house because she said she wanted help with science." Helga couldn't help but feel jealous that he went over to her house, but she remained silent and let him finish.

"And then before I knew it, she was kissing me! She like, threw me on the bed and got all up in my face! And I hated it... I swear. I mean we only kissed for like 10 seconds. And I didn't even like it. I promise. Just please don't be mad," he said wanting to reach out for her hand but decided against it.

Helga honestly didn't know how to respond. It's not like he liked it, and it's not like Arnold was officially dating Helga, but it still hurt to know that Lila got to kiss him. She liked having Arnold's attention and didn't want other girls to have it.

They were both just staring at each other, wondering who would break first.

Then, Helga took a breath out and said, "I'm not mad."

"You're not?" he perked up.

"No. It's not like you like her. And you said she started kissing you first and I trust you."

If it was any other guy, she would be pissed off. But she knew Arnold didn't do things to hurt other people. She knew he always gets stuck in those weird situations where he looks bad, but she also knows he never means it.

Arnold felt the guilt subside from his conscious. "Oh my gosh, Helga, you do not know how much better I feel from you saying that."

"Well, I can see you lost sleep from it and I don't want you to feel anymore bad than you're making yourself feel. It's okay Arnold, really."

He just stared at her a second before enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Helga, you're the best," then he pulled her back so he could look at her. "And I meant when I said I really like you. I think after Lila came on to me, that showed me that I don't want a girl like her. I want you," he said sincerely.

Helga took in a gasp of air when he said that.

"I... I like you too, Arnold. I like you a lot," she admitted. She knew the only way to get what she wanted was to be truthful and just tell him straight out.

He just smiled and gave her another hug.

"And you know, I'm going to make it up to you. I know we still have our date, but I really want to make it up to you," he said with a little mischievous in his eyes.

"Arnold, you don't hav-"

She was cut off by Arnold's lips touching hers. He was nice and gentle, and wanted to make it last. She kissed him back and they just stood there kissing with both of Arnold's arms around her and her hands moved up to his ribs. They both pulled out though and just stared at each other.

Then after a couple of moments, they both just started laughing. It started out small and progressively changed into a large amount of giggles. When they came to a close of their laughs however, they just came back to stare at each other once more.

Arnold reached out to move a hair behind her ear that went out of place.

"I'm so glad that's over with. You don't know how bad I felt."

"I know you didn't mean to."

"So this weekend... did you want to go on Saturday or Sunday?"

Helga thought it over before she said, "I think Sunday will be better since I just want to focus on Saturday."

"Of course," he said smiling.

He just continued to stare down at her.

"Isn't it so weird?" Arnold asked.

"What is?" she asked.

"We've known each other basically since the beginning and now we're here, at almost the end of high school."

"Yeah. It went by so fast and we're all still great friends." she said.

He paused before he said, "Do you know what you want to do after high school?"

"Not really, probably just go to college," she said.

It ached his heart to think of her being so far away.

"Well are you going to play soccer somewhere?"

"I don't know, I don't really want to," she said.

"Why not? You're really good."

"I just don't want to, okay?" she said with finalization in her voice.

"All right, Helga. I was just asking."

She just let out a breath of air, "Sorry. Do you know what you're going to do?"

Arnold didn't really like to think about it because he didn't really know what was going to happen with him.

"I don't know, I think I just want to go travel first and see the world," he said honestly.

"Oh, no school?" she asked.

"Maybe later," he said not wanting to really having to go into detail.

"That should be good for you. You like adventures."

"Yeah," he said thinking off into space.

_I wonder if we would still be in each other's futures after high school... _he thought.

Well their thoughts were cut off by the bell ringing. The twenty minutes passed by quick for the both of them.

"We should go back to class," Arnold said with a smile.

"Yeah let's go," Helga said as they walked up the steps back to the doors of the school.


	8. Chapter 8: Forever

Chapter 8

**Are you ready?**

Saturday morning couldn't come earlier for Helga or Arnold. Helga was too absorbed in beating their rivals to think about her date with Arnold. On the other hand, Arnold was happy to support Helga and to come and watch her at her finest.

It was 9:30 when Arnold arrived at the bleachers to meet all their friends. They played on the football field with the new turf the school just got.

When Arnold arrived, it was hard to spot out his friends since there were so many people there. But eventually, he spotted them in the somewhat middle of the bleachers. He arrived in his black pea coat and gray jeans with a white button up shirt underneath.

"Hey, guys," Arnold smiled at all his friends. There were Phoebe, Gerald, Stinky, Harold, Eugene, Sheena, Sid, Brainy, Nadine, Rhonda, and...wait for it... LILA.

_Ugh, honestly I can't even stand to look at her anymore._

Everyone returned his hello and he took a seat at the end of their line next to Stinky. Stinky still had his southern accent and was the normal country boy everyone knew and loved.

"I reckon this is gonna be a good game, dontcha think, Arnold?"

"Yeah, Helga said they're rivals and they're really good. It should be a good game."

Everyone just talked until the start of the game.

Arnold looked down at the field to spot Helga, and he saw her, in their white uniforms for home games. She was wearing her signature pink bow and he noticed her number was 7, his favorite number. He wondered if she knew he loved that number. **(A/N: That was his number for basketball in the episode "Benchwarmer" so I'm just assuming).**

Meanwhile, down on the field...

Coach Tim was giving them their last minute pep talk before the game started and they would step on to the field.

"Okay ladies, we have worked hard all season for this game and this will most likely be our toughest one yet. Everyone just needs to work hard and work together and nothing can stop us. Have faith in each other and trust the ball. Let's go kick some butt!"

_Focus, scoring is the only thing on my mind right now. I can't wait to get on that field and show them who's boss. Come at me bitches._

The team did their cheer and ran out to their positions. St. Mary's started out with the ball, and once the referee blew the whistle to start the game, Helga charged like there was no tomorrow. Helga was always aggressive, so soccer was perfect for her.

30 minutes in the first half...

Only thirty minutes in and Helga and all the other girls were working up a sweat. They were out of breath, but wouldn't quit now. The game had been pretty even so far with the ball going back and forth to each other's halves.

Finally, it was time for the ball to go on St. Mary's half where Helga was waiting to make her moves. She planned this out, you see, so by now the defense would be exhausted when Helga could easily go another two hours like this.

The ball was going down the right side of the field by a pass from center midfielder, Hannah. She passed it straight to Sydney, who took it and ran down the side of the field, not letting anyone take the ball from her. Eventually, Sydney got closer to the goalie's box and Helga made sure she was in a position so that she was open.

"Sydney! Cross!" Helga yelled at the top of her lungs. She was so excited right now.

Sydney passed the ball right to Helga's feet. Helga took a touch, and was about to take her shot into the net, but a big defender came and knocked her to the ground. Helga just fell and heard the referee's whistle. Some girls around her helped Helga up to her feet and she saw the girl get a yellow card. In high school soccer, if you get a yellow card, you're out of the game for five minutes.

Helga was inside of the goalie box when she got fouled, so that means she gets a free penalty kick with just her and the keeper. Helga loved these, it was like a piece of candy to her.

The goalie was getting ready trying to defend the goal, jumping from side to side. The referee handed her the ball so she could place the ball how she liked.

_Focus, this is easy. Just pass it to the bottom corner of the net._

Helga tried settling her nerves, but this was too freaking exciting. Her face was currently dripping with sweat and a cold breeze came, but Helga was so hot, she didn't even notice.

_Nail it in the corner. For the bitches._

The referee blew the whistle for her to go, and as she ran up to kick the ball, she saw the goalie from her perpetual vision guess to the left, so she hit it straight to the right. The ball hit the back of the net and the girls and the crowd went wild!

All of her teammates jumped around her for joy and they were all yelling for excitement. Everyone was hugging Helga as they were running back to their side of the field to set up again. Helga snuck a glance up at her friends and saw they were all standing up and cheering for her. She pointed her finger at them as if saying, "That was for you guys."

She also didn't fail to see Arnold smiling at her, clapping, and he blew her a kiss when she looked up at him.

The announcer in the box said, "And goalllll for Hillwood by number 7, Helga Pataki!"

She had so many happy emotions running through her right now, she could barely think straight.

_Shit, okay, focus. We need to finish this game and win. Oh my gosh, Arnold saw me score! And he looked so happy!_

_Shit, focus!_

Then, almost immediately, her smile dropped and she got her game face on again. The referee blew the whistle again for the St. Mary's kick off.

It was half time and all of the kids were cold so Gerald and Arnold volunteered to go down to the snack bar to get them all hot chocolate.

"Good thing they got that goal," said Gerald.

"Yeah, Helga's really good," said Arnold.

"Well duh man, she's been playing forever," said Gerald.

"Well yeah I always knew she was good, I've just never seen her play before," replied Arnold.

"I've been to a couple of games with Phoebe before," said Gerald.

_Lucky..._ Arnold thought.

"I wish I could've been there for her sooner," Arnold whispered under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Gerald.

"Uhh, nothing..."

They finally got down to the snack bar. "We'll have twelve hot chocolates, please," Arnold said to the mom working the snack bar. She looked at him a little skeptically then went to go start them.

"So did you figure out what you're doing for your date with Helga?"

Arnold eventually told Gerald the girl was Helga after one of their guy talks.

Arnold smiled at the thought of it. "Yeah, we're going to Chez Paris then after she wanted to go to the park."

"That sounds good. How are you going to tell her?" Gerald asked.

"Tell her what?" Arnold asked.

"Like, you know, how you have the hots for her!"

"Gerald!"

"What! It's so obvious, man!"

"I like Helga for her personality, not because she's hot," Arnold explained.

"So you do think she's hot!"

"Ugh!" Arnold said as he covered his face with his hands.

Gerald just laughed at his best friend. "Well even though she used to torment us when we were younger, I have to admit, she got better. And she's pretty cool, a lot of people know her."

"Yeah well that's what happens when you're a sports star. Like you too, a lot of people know you from football, basketball, and track," Arnold said.

"I guess that's true. Oh, the hot chocolates are ready," Gerald said.

Arnold carried a carton holder that holds four hot chocolates while Gerald held two. They got back to their seats right when the half was about to start. Arnold immediately didn't feel good when he sat back down and didn't even touch his hot chocolate. He didn't bring any pills either because he thought he wouldn't need them. He was just going to have to deal with the pain for now.

15 minutes in the second half...

The other team was currently on Hillwood's half passing the ball around. They were passing around Karen, but no one would ever get past Karen. They must have known that because they crossed the ball across field to Haley's side of the field. The girl from St. Mary's chested the ball down to her feet and made a move around Haley so she was cutting to the center of the goalie box.

The center defense, Ari, was running toward her to get the ball out but it was too late. The girl took a hard shot from far out that went right over the fingertips of the goalie, Amanda. Heartbreaker. St. Mary's side cheered and the girls were all hugging each other. They had to get this goal back...

The announcer announced again, "And goal for St. Mary's number 15, Andrea Plascencia!"

Ten minutes later, Arnold really didn't feel good. He couldn't pay attention to the game or anything around him, he was in so much pain. Stinky noticed this sitting next to him.

"Gee Arnold, you don't look so good."

"I know Stinky, I don't feel good either," Arnold said back to his friend.

"Is there anything I can do for ya?" Stinky asked.

"No, it's fine, I'll be f-..." and right then Arnold passed out.

"Arnold? Arnold?" Stinky was shaking him trying to wake him up.

"You guys! Something has happened to Arnold!" Stinky exclaimed to his friends.

Gerald immediately went over to Arnold and knew what had happened. "Someone, call 911!"

Phoebe whipped out her phone and dialed the number explaining what had happened to one of the operators.

People around them had begun to notice and realized what happened. Even the guy in the announcers box noticed and said, "Hey, folks, it looks like a spectator has fainted!"

Everyone looked to where all the commotion was going on and the ref blew the whistle to stop the game so they could figure out what was going on.

The players on the field were angry their game got irrupted. But one of them suddenly had fear in them as she heard what the announcer had said. She knew exactly who it was when he said it. Suddenly, nothing else mattered except for Arnold as she ran off the field, climbed the fence up the bleachers, still in her cleats, shin guards, and uniform, and ran up to her friends. She ignored all the yelling from her coach and teammates.

"Helga, get back here!"

"Helga, we need you!"

"Helga, what are you doing!? Where are you going!?"

"HELGA!"

She ignored all of them in desperate look for Arnold. She finally found whom she was looking for and ran straight towards him.

"Arnold!" She said rushing up to him. She held his head up putting her arm behind his neck. Everyone around them just stared. It was dead quiet. Helga didn't know if it was because they didn't expect her to rush so fast over to him or because they were touched by her actions.

She didn't care either. She only cared about Arnold right now. She didn't care about the game, she didn't care about St. Mary's, she didn't care about the looks people were giving her, she didn't care about what they were thinking about her, just Arnold. She didn't even care about the stares she felt Lila giving her.

She finally heard the sirens coming to the field and saw some guys come out of the back of the ambulance with a gurney. They made their way over to Arnold and gently lifted him onto it putting a breathing mask on his nose and mouth carrying him away to the back of the ambulance car.

It seemed that her coach expected her to come back and finish the game now, but he were wrong. Helga started to run to the back of the ambulance when her coach yelled up at her from the field.

"Helga, where are you going!? We have to finish the game!" Coach Tim said.

"Ahh, put a sock in it, Tim. Some things are more important than soccer!" she yelled back.

She just saw his face get really red from anger as she proceeded to the ambulance.

"I'll go with him!" she heard Lila say to one of the emergency medics.

Helga just scoffed and pushed her aside, "Move it, sister!" as she climbed in the back of the vehicle. She sat down in one of the seats, putting her seat belt on looking at Arnold. He was still unconscious while the medics were trying to wake up him up. She just grabbed his hand, rubbing the back of it with her thumb trying to comfort him and maybe wake him up.

"You his girlfriend?" one of the medics asked her.

"Uhh, yeah," she said. It would just be easier to say that instead of trying to explain.

She continued to hold his hand and they continued to do their medical stuff to him until they reached the hospital.

When they got there, she was forced to let go of his hand and wait in a waiting room until they had him safely and stable in bed.

_All he could see was white. There weren't any walls or a floor. It was like he was flying through a cloud. He saw a little girl in the distance. She was looking in a mirror at herself. Arnold walked over to her, curious to see what was in the mirror as well. _

_When he got there, there was a tall, beautiful woman with long, blonde hair and long, slender legs in the mirror. He saw himself and the woman together, but they weren't happy. It looked like they were grieving with them holding each other in an embrace. They let go of each other but they were still facing each other, frowning. The woman grabbed his hand in the reflection but Arnold could almost feel it even though he was watching with the mysterious girl on the outside. He still couldn't see her face perfectly but he thought he knew who she was._

_The sight in the mirror saddened him and he felt tears forming in his eyes because everything felt so real to him right now; he felt like this was happening to him in real life._

_When he looked back at the girl standing in front of the mirror, she was now transformed into that same woman in the mirror. She had tears in her eyes as well. She just stared into Arnold's eyes and gave him a hug, holding him. When they broke apart, she grabbed his hand, reflecting what they just saw in the mirror. Again, he felt like it was her real hand in his._

_Now it felt real to him and both of them had tears spilling down their eyes. He finally realized who the woman was._

_"Helga..."_

_"Shh, Arnold, it's okay. I'm here for you."_

_"Helga, I don't want to admit it, but I'm scared, more scared than I've ever been."_

_"I know, Arnold. I'm scared too."_

_"Why are you scared?" Arnold asked squeezing her hand a little._

_"Because I can't lose you, Arnold."_

_He just stared at her. She nervously looked down. He captured her into another hug._

_"You will never lose me, Helga," he said into her hair. "I will always be there for you, whether I'm here or not. You mean so much to me."_

_He heard her cry more and he just rubbed her back lightly._

_"Will you look after me?" she asked him._

_"Always," he said breaking their hug to look into her eyes and put his hand on her cheek to wipe away the tears. "Always..."_

Arnold woke up slowly and noticed he was in a hospital room again with machines beeping around him. He thought it was just the usual again but something felt different this time. He looked around more and noticed Helga sitting there next to his bed, holding his right hand. She was sort of dozing off and didn't notice that he was awake yet. He squeezed her hand lightly to get her attention. "Helga?"

She immediately opened her eyes wide and got embarrassed because she didn't want him to catch her holding his hand. "Oh, um, hi..." she said and took her left hand back.

"No, I want to hold your hand," Arnold said with a smile and half-lidded eyes holding his palm out for her to place hers in again.

"Oh, um okay, heh.." she said and put her hand back in his. He slyly brought her hand toward his face and planted a kiss on it. She just blushed and looked away with a cute, little smile on her face as he intertwined their fingers.

"So do you remember what happened?" Helga asked trying to get the focus off of them.

He thought for a moment, then replied, "Hmm all I remember is I was at your game and I started to not feel good then I don't know what happened. Oh, and I remembered you scored a goal," he finished smiling at her and now he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "You're so good, Helga," he said with his half-lidded gaze.

She just scoffed and said, "Oh, please. It was a PK. Those are easy."

"I still think you're amazing. On and off the field," he said to her smiling still.

She just blushed and looked away.

"Oh, by the way, what happened? Did you guys win?" Arnold asked.

"Um, I don't know. There was still about fifteen minutes left when you fainted and I just came here," she said.

He just noticed she was still in her uniform and soccer socks, shin guards, and cleats.

"Helga, you missed the biggest game of the season just to sit with me at a hospital? Are you crazy?" Arnold said.

"I...I just- I don't know. I wanted to make sure you were okay," she admitted looking down at her lap.

"Helga. Helga, look at me."

She did.

"That is the nicest thing anyone could have done for me. And it means even more to me that it was you."

Helga started to form tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe that what Arnold was telling her was true. She daydreamed about this stuff happening, but never thought it would in real life.

"Helga, come here," Arnold said extending out his other hand.

"Arnold, I smell like crap," she said referring to her sweat.

He just chuckled. "I really don't care," he said pulling her into him for a hug. Helga ended up laying on the bed with him and they were cuddling into each other since the bed was so small.

"Helga, I-I have to tell you something," he said nervously while they were still embraced in each other. She may as well know since he felt himself only getting closer to his old childhood bully.

She didn't say anything, she just waited patiently as she placed her head on his left shoulder.

"I-I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy," he said feeling tears fall down his eyes. Helga tightened her hug around him trying to comfort him. She had tears down her eyes too.

Arnold's voice was shaky from the crying, "It's a disease in my heart. My arteries are too thick. They... they said I wouldn't make it p-past my early teen years," he explained to her. "But I've gotten this far, and... I'm not going to let it take over me. That's why I faint all the time. But sometimes I just think, I can't control my fate."

She just rubbed his back more and whispered into his ear, "Shh, it's okay. I'm here for you."

"Helga, I'm scared," he admitted to her.

She paused a second before admitting too, "I'm scared too."

This all seemed so familiar to Arnold, but he felt like it was supposed to be happening. Everything was so natural with Helga.

"Helga, don't let me go," Arnold whispered because he couldn't talk out loud anymore putting his head on her shoulder.

"Never. I will never let you go," she whispered back.

They stayed like that for what seemed like a lifetime, and neither of them wanted to break the hug either. They only had to when Dr. Robinson came in to check up on Arnold. Helga sat back in her seat and scouted back a little but Arnold still held her hand the entire time his dad was in the room and didn't let go.

**A/N: So I know the disease is horrible, and I didn't want to give it to him, but one of my idols, Ben Breedlove, had it so this story goes out to him. You can look him up on Wikipedia if you want to know his story.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Date

Chapter 9

After Saturday's episode, Helga went home, Arnold reluctantly let her go, and she took a shower, and laid down on her bed. She heard a knock on the door though and went downstairs to answer it. There, she found Phoebe standing at her door.

"Oh, hey Phoebe! Come in, it's freezing," Helga said shutting the door behind her best friend.

"Thank you, Helga. I just wanted to return your soccer bag to you since you left it at the game," Phoebe said.

"Oh wow, Phoebe. Thanks. I got so caught up in everything, I forgot about that," Helga said.

"No problem. So how was Arnold?" Phoebe asked.

Helga knew Arnold kept his condition a secret and she wouldn't tell anyone without his permission.

"Oh, he was fine. He just didn't feel good," Helga said obviously lying but Phoebe decided not to push it any further.

"I'm glad he's better now. Well I just wanted to drop your bag off. I should get going," Phoebe said.

"Wait! Don't you want to hang out?" Helga asked.

"I'd love to Helga, but Gerald and I are going to the movies," Phoebe explained.

"Oh okay, sounds good. Hey Pheebs, what happened at the game?"

"We lost," Phoebe said looking down at the ground.

Helga immediately felt a load of guilt flowing inside of her. She knew if she stayed, they would have at least had a shot to tie or maybe win. She knew she was in a butt load of trouble with her coach and the teammates as well, but honestly, she didn't care. Arnold's health was way more important to her than a silly game against high school rivals.

"Well I won't hold you up any longer. Thanks for dropping my bag off Phoebe," Helga said.

"Anytime, Helga. I'll talk to you later. And good luck with your date tomorrow!" Phoebe said as she was walking out the door down the steps.

"Bye, Pheebs," Helga said shutting the door.

Helga grabbed her bag and put it in her room, digging her cell phone out.

She had seven new messages. This could either be really good, or really bad. Probably bad.

**Coach Tim: **Helga, I am very disappointed with you. You skipped the most important game of the season for a boy who fainted. You know how hard all of us have worked this season and you just threw our chances away. I think this is very disrespectful and you will have to pay the price that the team paid since you just left them. Come prepared to run at practice on Monday.

Helga really didn't care what coach had to say. How could he not see how much this actually mattered compared to a dumb game? She started to wonder who's the real adult here.

**Sydney: **Dude, you better watch out Tim is soooo mad we got our asses kicked.

**Gerald: **Hey can you text me when Arnold's okay? He isn't answering his phone.

Helga quickly gave him a text that he woke up and was fine when she left.

**Nikki:** You are in such shit Helga.

**Haley: **Are you serious? You ditched us for some boy? When we needed you? What the hell we're your teammates you don't just do that.

Helga was really getting irritated with all the people from soccer bagging on her. It already happened, they should just let it go.

**Dad:** Hey girl, how did the game go? Still stuck at my meeting.

Oh great now she had to break the news to her dad. She hoped he would be proud of her in her decision to help out a friend in need than continue to play a game.

**Mom: **Hello Helga. Just want to check in on things. I'll be back late tomorrow from visiting Grandma.

Miriam was out visiting her mom this weekend since the cold hurts her bones and she needs Miriam's help every once in a while.

Helga quickly replied that everything was fine and she hoped she was having a good time.

She put her phone down on the table by the couch and went to the kitchen to get a snack. When she came back to sit on the couch and watch TV, her phone buzzed with a new message.

**Arnold: ** Hey Helga :) I just want you to know that you being here for me meant so much to me. I know how much you love soccer and wanted to beat St. Mary's and I'm touched that you came to help me instead of finish the game. You're such a great person whether you realize it or not and you mean so much to me. I can't wait for our date tomorrow :)

Helga's heart skipped a beat when she saw his name on her phone to start with. But after she read that text, her stomach felt warm from all of the butterflies fluttering inside. At that moment she didn't care about any of the hate she was getting from everyone on the team, or even people in the school. She realized at that moment, that Arnold was all she needed. He was all she would ever need, and she was so happy to be there for him in his time of need.

Her only desire now was to help him through this, no matter what anyone said. Her love for him that she tried to drown over the years was suddenly resurfacing and she didn't even try to stop it. She wanted it there because it felt good to love and have some of the feelings returned. She wasn't sure if he exactly loved her back, but it was obvious he had some feelings towards her. He had to, right?

Right. He asked her on a fancy date and said all of those nice things to her. She decided to reply with a new step in her spring.

**Helga: **I was so glad that you were okay Arnold. You scared the living poop out of me, don't do it again! Haha. Arnold I just want you to know, that I will always be here for you. You mean a lot to me too and I can't wait for tomorrow either. :)

**Arnold: **I can't wait to see you.

**Helga: **Geez when did you turn into such a romantic? :P

**Arnold: **Since you became so beautiful. Inside and out.

More butterflies from Helga reading that text.

**Helga: **Please, you're overestimating me.

**Arnold: **No I'm not. You underestimate yourself too much. Please, just believe me. You're beautiful just the way you are. I love everything about you.

_Oh my gosh did he just say he _loves_ everything me? Oh my gosh, I'm fangirling. My cheeks feel hot._

**Helga: **You're too nice Arnold. Really.

**Arnold: **Helga, I'm not trying to be nice. I'm just speaking the truth, beautiful. :)

**Helga: **Thank you Arnold. It means a lot to me that you think that of me. 3

She felt like a loser putting the heart but sue her, they were having a moment.

**Arnold: **I will always think that of you. I want you to also know that I will always be here for you too, no matter what. 3

_He put the heart back! Oh my gosh is this seriously all that teens care about these days? Geez we suck._

**Helga: **:)

And there they were, tomorrow. Arnold could drive so he picked her up in his metallic 2005 Mustang GT with red leather seats on the inside. Since Arnold's parents were both doctors, they made a lot of money and were more than happy to buy Arnold the car he wanted.

Arnold parked the car on the street, headed up to her stoop, and knocked on the door. He was greeted by Bob Pataki who only looked at him with a suspicious glare since Arnold was wearing a white button up shirt, charcoal slacks, a black blazer, and a bow tie.

"Hi Mr. Pataki. My name's Arnold. I'm here to pick up Helga for a date," Arnold said extending his hand for a handshake.

Bob returned the handshake and just yelled at Helga who was upstairs getting ready still with Phoebe. A couple minutes later, Helga came down the stairs and Arnold could have sworn his heart stopped. She was wearing a light orange dress that only went over one of her shoulders and one layer of fringe around her middle. She was wearing a thin brown braided belt around her middle and white flats with some gold colored bracelets. She had her bangs braided in the front on top of her head and her curled hair pulled over her right shoulder.

Arnold couldn't stop staring at her but one thing was missing. He didn't know what it was yet though. She came down the stairs and over to the two men at the door.

"Ready?" she said looking up at him.

Arnold just nodded because he couldn't form words right then.

"Just be back by eleven, Helga," Bob said.

"I know. Bye, Dad," Helga said.

Arnold finally found his voice and held his arm out. "Shall we?" he said with a big smile on his face.

She just blushed and put her arm through his and walked down the stoop to his car. He opened the door for her and helped her get in then walked around the front to get in the driver's side.

Helga couldn't help but notice the car smelt exactly like Arnold. It was almost intoxicating, but she loved it.

"I like your car," Helga said looking at the new surrounding around her.

"Thanks. It was a sixteenth birthday present last October," he said very proud of his car as the engine roared up.

On the way to Chez Paris, Arnold felt something was a little off with Helga. She wasn't usually this quiet and she usually had a little more to say. He noticed she only looked out her window or down at her hands.

"Is everything okay, Helga?" He had to ask to make sure.

She seemed startled out of her thoughts when he broke the silence. "Oh, yeah. I'm good," she said faking a smile. "I'm just... a little nervous."

Arnold didn't really buy it but he decided he would find out later.

They arrived at the restaurant and Arnold opened the car door for Helga and offered his arm to her again as they walked towards the front.

He leaned down to say in her ear, "You know, I didn't tell you this yet, but you look beautiful."

She just smiled, looked the other way, blushed, and muttered a thanks as they entered.

They got to the front desk and Arnold said, "Hi, we have a reservation for Arnold Robinson."

The lady checked her list and said, "Yes, Mr. Robinson. Right this way," as she led them to their table.

Instead of Arnold and Helga interlocking at the arm, he grabbed her hand so their fingers were intertwined as they walked to their table. When they got there, Arnold let go of her hand so he could pull the chair out for her and push it in for her as she sat down. She just looked at him with a slight smile that said thanks. He got in his seat and the waiter put their menus on the table.

"Someone will be with you right away," she said smiling at them.

"Thanks," they both said at once.

The restaurant was dimly lit with many candles and Christmas lights.

"So Helga, is something on your mind?" Arnold was so excited for the date he didn't want her to be upset. He just wanted them both to have a good time.

"Um, nothing really," she said looking up at him. "Just," she hesitated. "I don't know..."

"Remember when I said I will be always be there for you too? Well I want to be here for you now if something's bothering you. You can trust me, Helga," he said with so much sincerity in his voice and holding his hand out across the table.

She looked at it and eventually put her hand in his. It was hard for her to just trust people so easily, but with Arnold it was different. She's known him her whole life basically and grew up with him. She knew she could trust him. But there was a part of her that didn't want to just let people in on her so easily. It must be a pride thing.

"I... I just..."

Suddenly a waiter came to their table. "Good evening, my name is Daniel and I will be your server tonight. Is there anything I can start you two off with to drink?"

Helga was going to retreat her hand from Arnold's when the tall man with brown curly hair came to their table, but he only held it tighter.

"Sure I'll have a water," Arnold said and looked over to Helga.

"I'll have one too," Helga said looking at the waiter.

"Okay I'll get those out to you two right away," Daniel said. "Are you two ready to order?"

They looked at each other and agreed they both knew what they wanted. After he took their order, he took their menus out of the way and walked back to the kitchen.

Since he cut them off, Arnold and Helga were left in an awkward spot.

"Um, I like your bow tie," Helga said looking at the bow.

He just smiled widely at her. "Thanks. I like it too."

She laughed slightly. "I hope this isn't weird to say but, I like your style. Like the clothes you wear. You always look nice. It's... nice..." she said shyly, looking away.

He just lightly squeezed her hand. "You're so cute," he chuckled at her.

That just caused her to blush more and feel more shy.

Daniel came over and put their waters down without saying anything seeing they were having a conversation.

But it seemed she didn't want to talk about whatever it was now so he figured he would just ask at the park.

Helga let go of their hands when the food arrived and they continued to talk about random stuff and whatever they noticed happening at school. After the meal, Arnold paid the bill even though Helga offered to pay her half, but he declined her offer.

They got into his car driving down to the park. Helga still didn't give any signs as to what was wrong but Arnold was determined to know now. He just wanted her to feel better and get whatever it was off her chest.

When they got out of the car, Arnold took Helga's hand in his and intertwined their fingers. It was around seven o'clock and it was really cold for January. Arnold noticed she was shivering slightly and took his jacket off to give to her. He stopped their stroll to put the jacket around her shoulders and she put her arms through the sleeves. Before he continued their walk, he stole a kiss on her cheek. Normally she would object, but it was a really cold night.

He grabbed her hand again and they walked towards a bench looking out at the pond. He didn't want to force her to tell him what's wrong, so he waited. He put his right arm around her to try to keep both of them warm.

The gesture made her put her head on his shoulder and she nuzzled into his neck.

"It's the team," she said to him.

He just took a breath in. "What happened?"

She hesitated before telling him everything. "Well, yesterday when I got home, I got a lot of texts from people on the team, including my coach. They were saying how mad my coach was and all the other girls on the team were mad too. And my coach said that I was going to run so much for that," she told him.

He didn't know what to say, so he just let her finish.

"And then I thought, all of them are so stupid. They are so caught up in a dumb GAME for Pete's sake. I just hate how they think this is the most important thing in life and putting so much stress on themselves and the coach is making me feel like poop because I value you more than a dumb game." She paused again, letting it sink in.

She then looked up at him, deep into his eyes. "Arnold, I want to be here for you. I want to get you through this and make you happy. I like you a lot. You're really important to me," she said without breaking their gaze. She felt tears grazing her eyelids. It was hard for her to tell people her true feelings, but she figured Arnold may not have a lot of time left, so may as well beat around the bush.

She saw tears brimming in his eyes as well. She couldn't believe something she said would make someone else get all emotional. He just pulled her into a warm, loving hug that said he felt the same way and they just stayed like that.

They were still hugging when Helga said, "Arnold, I quit the team."

He immediately pulled out of their hug to look at her, still holding her arms out in front of him.

"What do you mean you quit? Helga, you can't just drop everything for me," Arnold said to her.

"But I want to. I thought you wanted me to too," she said sadly.

"Helga, of course I want you around but I can't ask to put your life on hold for me. You can't make your decisions based on other people."

It hurt Helga a lot when he said that because he didn't know how she truly felt about him. He meant everything to her and he was basically telling her she couldn't help him out.

She just looked right at him and said, "Wouldn't you do the same for me?" She had a soft look on her face.

He looked away for a second then back at her. "That's... different."

"No it's not, Arnold. You're just so used to being the savior for everyone else, you don't want anyone else to help you," she ended that statement louder than she started and got off the bench, threw his jacket at him, and stormed off.

Arnold got up with the jacket in his hands and followed her, not letting her get away. "Maybe I'm just thinking of you and want you to have a good life, while I'm probably going to die in a few years!"

As soon as he said that, he wished he hadn't. He felt like it was too brutal, but the truth.

Helga's back was facing him with her arms crossed so she could hide the tears going down her face. "I just wanted to do one thing for you after everything you've done for me," she says in a quiet voice with no emotion.

She started to walk away again but he caught her arm, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I should get home it's getting late," she said still not looking at him.

"Helga, I'm sorry I yelled. Just talk to me, please."

She paused a second before she said, "Do you remember?" finally looking at him in the eyes.

He wasn't sure what she meant. "Remember what?"

"The first day we met..."

He was a little startled she wanted to bring that up. "It was so long ago. I remember vaguely of us in pre-school but I don't remember the exact day."

Now she turned halfway to the side so her left arm was facing him. "It was the first day we met, and the first day someone actually paid attention to me and showed me kindness."

He just stared at her wanting her to say more because he wasn't able to process a sentence at that moment.

"No one at my house would pay attention to me back then because Olga was too busy taking all of the attention. So I decided to walk to school on my own. A stray dog took my lunch, it was raining, and a car splashed mud all over me. I was so miserable by the time I got to school. But then...," she finally turned back towards him and looked him in the eyes with a crooked smile and said, "a certain football-shaped headed boy came with an umbrella and complimented my bow. And ever since then, I have never stopped thinking about him," she finished with tears of happiness in her eyes now.

Arnold stepped towards her and put his right hand up to her left cheek and wiped off the tears falling down. He put their foreheads together and both of them had their eyes closed. He whispered and she felt his hot breath tickling on her face, "Helga... I had no idea... I've been trying to figure you out for so long, but I think I finally see you."

She suddenly felt so relieved so she let out a breath of her own and said, "Arnold, you don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say those words."

Arnold pulled their foreheads apart so he could look in to her deep blue eyes with his hands on her shoulders.

"It's like I'm finally seeing you through your eyes. I can see what you've been through and what you've overcome."

She looked away for a second and said, "It's really hard for me to open up to other people. Like I've never cried in front of anyone before. I don't know what it is about you..." she trailed off and wanted some comfort so she stepped forward and put her head on his chest. Arnold wrapped both arms around her upper back.

"Guess I must be pretty special," he joked trying to lighten the mood. He heard her giggle softly.

She pulled back to look into his eyes and said, "You have no idea, Football Head.

He just smiled at her and leaned down. Helga saw what he was doing and leaned in as well and felt the whole world light up when their lips touched. Their kiss started out slow but it didn't take long for Arnold to deepen it and press down with more force. Her bottom lip was between both of his.

Helga thought she was still crying but she was barely starting to notice that it had been raining the whole time.

Without breaking the kiss, Arnold took her smaller hand into his big one and slowly started to end the kiss. They both stared a little not knowing what to say. The silence wasn't awkward, just content.

"Be my girlfriend?"

She did not see that one coming. "What?"

"Will you be my girlfriend, Helga? I promise to be good to you. Please," he said giving her hand a light squeeze.

She didn't know what to say. She wanted this her whole life and it was finally here. She certainly didn't expect him to ask her here because she didn't want to give herself false hope. But they were both really there and that was really happening.

She just smiled at him and said, "Of course, Arnold."

He gave her a smirk and pulled her into him again for another kiss. When he pulled back he whispered in her ear, "Guess what?"

"Chicken butt?" she whispered back.

He laughed in her ear and she felt herself blush when his warm breath was on her ear for some reason. "No. I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world," and he kissed her ear.

"Stop," she playfully smacked him away in the chest laughing.

He was laughing too. "It's only about 8. Do you want to go somewhere else?"

Helga thought for a moment and wasn't going to suggest anything but then she thought of the perfect idea.

"Yeah! But it's a secret," she smirked playfully at him pulling him towards the car.


	10. Chapter 10: A Whole New World

Chapter 10

**Hey sorry I didn't realize I ended on a mini cliffhanger. I didn't mean to but it is what it is so sorry.**

**And I haven't done this yet but I don't own any of the characters.**

She grabbed his hand and was pulling him back towards the car with peps in their steps.

"I have to drive though," she smirked.

He just looked at her like she was crazy. She probably was, too. "What!? No way. She's my baby, I don't let anyone drive her. Plus, you don't even have your license."

"I've already done all the training, I'm just too lazy to wait in the DMV line," she was still smirking. She was already outside on the driver's side and he was already outside on the passenger's side so they both knew what was about to go down.

"I don't know..." Arnold was still contemplating in his head.

"Just give me the keys already, sheesh!"

He paused for a second but the caved in and tossed her the keys. She caught the keys, unlocked the door, and they both got in. **(Dang, rebels).**

"Just please, be careful," he said with a worried expression.

"I know, I know, sheesh," she said back to him.

"I'm just saying..."

"Don't you trust me?" she looked over at him with a soft look on her face.

He just looked back and stared for a minute. "I trust you," he said after a while.

She just smiled with her teeth and started the car.

During the car ride, Arnold fiddled with the radio trying to find a good song. The song "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes came on and he kept this one on. They both listened to it contently and the both realized this song was exactly how they felt about one another.

_You know I'd fall apart without you._

_I don't know how you do what you do._

_'Cause everything that don't make sense about me,_

_Makes sense when I'm with you._

_Like everything that's green girl, I need you._

_But it's more than one and one makes two._

_Put aside the math and the logic, of it._

_You gotta know you want it, too._

_'Cause I wanna wrap you up, wanna kiss your lips_

_I, wanna make you feel wanted._

_I wanna call you mine, wanna hold your hand forever,_

_And never let you forget it._

_'Cause I, I wanna make you feel wanted._

Arnold just looked over at Helga driving and she had a faint smile on her face because she could see him looking at her through her peripheral vision.

"Helga, you really do look beautiful," Arnold stated again.

She glanced over at him for a second but then looked back at the road. "Thanks. You always look good too," she said to him.

He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek but ended up giving other little kisses on her face.

She was giggling before she pushed him off her. "Arnold, please. I'm driving," she said still laughing.

"Sorry, I just can't help it," he laughed. "So where are we going, beautiful?"

"It's a secret, you'll like it," she said.

He just sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes trying to relax. His chest was feeling okay so far. Before he knew it though, the car was stopped and Helga was on his side opening the car door for him. She took his hand and was smiling widely.

"C'mon let's go!" she said excitedly. She couldn't wait so she leaned over him to unbuckle his seat belt. He immediately froze when he felt her body pressed against his and suddenly couldn't remember anything at the moment. She was tugging at his hand again.

"C'mon, Football Head!" She was really excited now and couldn't wait to show him.

He managed to grab his jacket out of the back before she hoisted him out of the car.

"Here, wear this. It's still cold," Arnold said offering her his jacket with his left hand since he was holding her left hand with his right.

"I'm fine," she said still walking.

"No, take it. Here," he said letting go of her hand to walk behind her to put it on her. He noticed she didn't fight so she probably was cold. He came back to her left side and took her hand again and was finally noticing their surroundings.

She parked in a neighborhood of just houses but they were far away from the city. Arnold had never been over here before. It was more of a suburban area. There were many bushes, trees, and green land around them. They walked around the neighborhood until they reached a gate. It was well hidden from a big branch from a tree and some other bushes as well.

The gate was unlocked and it revealed a long, narrow alley. Both of the walls were the outside of people's backyards. Basically, it was sketchy considering you couldn't even see the end of the alley.

"Helga..." Arnold started.

"It's fine, don't be a sissy."

They walked down the alley holding hands.

When they reached the end of the alley, there was another gate that led to just bushes and on the other side you were able to see a gutter path that led straight up.  
"Um, why do I have a feeling you're trying to kidnap me or something..." asked Arnold.

"Oh just be quiet and follow me," said Helga.

They opened the second gate and when they got through, they looked up at the gutter.

"You go up first since I'm wearing a dress," she said letting go of his hand so he could climb.

"Whatever you say, cutie," he winked at her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He knew she was blushing but it was too dark to see anything.

Arnold started climbing up the gutter on his hands and feet since it was at a weird tilt upward. This caused him to suddenly feel awkward and turned around to see Helga looking down because she realized too.

He decided to make a bright side out of it though and said, "Stop looking at my butt," and stuck his tongue out at her.

That caused her to look up and laugh. He laughed along and continued up the path with Helga following behind him. When they reached a part where the gutter split right and left, she said go left.

Now they were on flat land so they could walk normally and Helga took the lead.

Arnold was just staring at the back of her head not even paying attention to where he was walking.

_Dang, she's so great. No other girl would ever be this much fun._

He then thought back to his times hanging out with other girls. Many times when it was just them and Arnold, things were pretty ordinary. They just went out to the movies, ice cream, or get some food. But here he was, in the middle of who-knows-where with Helga in a suit and she in a dress in the middle of the night and he had no idea what was going to happen.

He smiled to himself and continued to follow her.

They reached another gutter trail that led up so Arnold went first while Helga trailed behind. Once they reached the top of the gutter trail, all he saw were hills. They were currently at the bottom of a massive hill right then.

"C'mon!" she said grabbing his hand, running to the top. Arnold struggled to keep up with her, he wasn't particularly in shape while she was. It was really steep though, so they had to stop at some moments and just laugh together. They kept running and laughing on and off until they finally reached the top.

It was the most breathtaking view he had ever seen.

All he saw were lights from the whole city, the place they were so far away from now. He felt like they were taken out of their lives and he was looking down at it now, like they were in a whole new world away from everyone.

Arnold wasn't talking so Helga could tell he was completely amazed by this view. Helga still loved it every time she went up there.

"Do you like it?" she asked softly. He was still looking at the view before he turned to her with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. She looked back at him because she couldn't quite read his expression.

He dropped her hand, took her face in both of his hands, and kissed her on the mouth hard. It all happened so fast, she didn't even see it coming. But eventually she got herself together and kissed him back.

Her face was still in his hands when he pulled apart and looked straight into her eyes and said, "This place is amazing, just like you."

He said it so seriously and never broke contact with her which let her know he meant every word.

She didn't say anything and pulled him into a hug with her head on his chest and he put his head on top of hers.

"Can we lay down and look at the stars?" she asked.

He pulled her out of the embrace and smiled at her. "Of course."

They both laid down on the soft grass together and just gazed. Their hands found their ways back to each other as they looked up at the sky.

"So how did you find this place?" Arnold asked.

She hesitated and took a deep breath before she started. "Well I found it in eighth grade. I was having a rough time with soccer and school and I just wanted to get away from everything."

Arnold remained quiet while he let her talk.

"I went on a new team and they were at the gold level so we were ranked number fourteen in the nation. I could hang with them, but the girls were so mean to me. They tried to bring me down all the time and I knew they made fun of me behind my back. I heard them talking one time," she paused for a second, "They... they broke me..." She took another breath as she continued.

"I had practice or games every day, and every day I had to suffer with struggling to be the best, because if you weren't the best, you were considered nothing. I had so much pressure everyday."

"Well I guess that's how you got so good," Arnold added.

"I guess. But there were so many times when I wanted to hang out with you guys or Phoebe, But I couldn't because I had soccer. I felt like I missed out on a lot of the fun stuff you guys did."

He squeezed her hand to show her he was there.

"Then my dad was starting to get on my case more about me not being the best all the time, so I hated everything"

"One day though, he took it too far. He took a tennis racket and hit me on the back and wouldn't stop yelling. So I ran. I ran so far away, I didn't even know where I was anymore. By the time I discovered that neighborhood, my legs ached so much, but I didn't even care. I saw the gate and decided to explore to get away from the world I hated so much"

"So eventually I saw the top of this hill when I was standing down there by the gutter, and I just booked it. I think the real reason I wanted to get to the top though was because I just wanted to feel like I was above everyone else at something. Because back then, I was at the bottom of everything, and it felt good to finally be at the top of something."

Arnold couldn't help but think of something dirty when she said that.

_What if one day we would..._

"But I love this place and I've never taken anyone else up here."

He looked over at her. "Never? I'm the only one? Not even Phoebe?"

"Nope. You're the only one," she said and looked over at him to give him a smile and looked back up at the stars.

He was still looking over at her and brought her hand up to his mouth to place a gentle kiss to it.

"You overcame so much and stayed strong the whole way. You're incredible, Helga."

He could tell she was trying to hide her smile and when he thought she was going to laugh, she let out a sob instead and she began to cry.

_Holy crap, she's crying? I never thought I would see her cry before..._

He pulled her over to him so her head was on top of his chest, and he ran his left hand up and down her back and hair. He used his other hand to wipe the tears off her face and looked down at her and saw she was still crying.

He kissed the top of her forehead, "Don't cry. You're too beautiful for these silly tears," he said while wiping them off.

She started to calm down a little at his soothing but wouldn't look up at him.

"Don't look at me," she said. He was confused as to what she was talking about which made him continue to look at her. She saw him still looking though.

"Stop," she said more firmly which made him look away right away.

Helga didn't want him to see her so vulnerable. And she was an ugly crier and didn't want him to see her like that either.

He continued to rub her hair and back as she silently let tears fall down her face. He continued to place random kisses on her forehead.

Eventually, she calmed down enough to get herself together. She sat up and wiped her face off. Helga barely wore any make-up so she didn't have to worry about it smearing.

Arnold sat up as well and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't be sorry for showing your feelings," he said.

"It's just weird because I never cry in front of people. Ever. It's hard for me to open up," she said looking out in the distance still.

"I know. But you can always come to me whenever you need anything, okay? I just want to be the one you can always count on."

She laughed lightly, "You're the one everyone counts on."

He looked over at her, "I know. But you're just so... I don't know. There's something about you that makes me want to be there for you even more."

"I think it's because I don't go looking for attention. And everyone goes to you whenever they have a problem. But you're probably attracted to me because I like to repel everything."

He still looked at her but she continued to look ahead.

"That's so true..." he said.

"You know, I think two people work well together when they have the same interests, but opposite personalities."

He just continued to look at her and she finally looked back at him. She felt the love tonight and leaned into him putting her hand on his cheek and kissing him with passion. This was the first time she took the initiative and kissed him first, aside from the fourth grade.

It was hot and heavy, and Arnold liked it. He put his arms around her and laid them down on the soft grass. They continued to kiss with Helga on top of Arnold. Neither of them had had this experience before.

Helga had both of her hands on his face and Arnold's hands were around her waist. He wasn't thinking when his hand went lower to wrap around the back of her thigh.

The contact immediately freaking Helga out and she gasped into their kiss and pulled back to stare at Arnold.

He realized he hit a spot with her. "I'm sorry..."

They were both breathing hard and were both a little embarrassed with flushed cheeks. Helga felt weird in their position and rolled off him. He felt cold the second she rolled off.

They were both facing the stars again.

_That was intense, I bet he can hear my heart beating, _she thought.

"Helga, have you had a boyfriend before?" Arnold was suddenly curious. Once high school started, he saw less and less of Helga and didn't keep up with her as much.

"Sophomore year I went out with this guy for like four months. I didn't like him that much though. He was clingy and creepy."

Arnold thought he could vaguely remember her dating someone.

"He was weird though, and we never did anything outside of school. My parents didn't really like him either. I never even met his parents. It was just an awkward experience. But I'm glad it's over now."

He smiled and looked over at her, "Well he missed out," he said.

She just laughed, "Heck yeah. I'm stinking awesome," she said sarcastically and they both laughed.

Arnold asked something more serious though, "Do you think I'm clingy?"

She just smiled, "No. I think you're caring and sweet and kind to everyone. It's rare to find all of those things in one guy. I guess you could say you're a catch," she said jokingly and looked over at him to give him a wink.

He just laughed, "Did you just wink at me?" he said and rolled on his side to face her.

She just shied away and pushed his shoulder so he went back on the grass, "Maybe..." she was smiling but she was starting to feel more comfortable around Arnold.

Arnold was diligent though and went back on his side again. He was leaning on his left forearm with his right hand reached out to stroke down Helga's right arm. She got the chills when he did that, even though she was wearing his jacket. Helga shut her eyes trying to savor this moment.

"You know," she began, "I was the one who gave you those flowers."

Her eyes remained shut when she talked, but Arnold's stopped his movement up and down her arm since he was so shocked by her news. He didn't say anything but his hand was still on her arm.

He then leaned over so he was on top of her and her eyes shot open up at him. His hands were on either side of her head so he wasn't crushing her.

Neither of them said anything but Helga felt weird in this position since she had thought of this situation happening before in her mind. They obviously weren't going to do it but still, it was weird.

Arnold leaned down to kiss her hard at first, but then released to place little tiny kisses around her face. She was giggling beneath him.

"Thank you," he said before giving her another kiss on the mouth.

"Geez, if I didn't know any better, I might have thought you liked me or something," she said.

He just laughed and said, "Don't tell my girlfriend."

Arnold got up off her and brought her up with him. They sat with Helga sitting criss-cross applesauce and Arnold's legs on either side of her.

Arnold looked at his watch and it was about 9:15.

Helga leaned over to undo his bowtie and put it on herself. He laughed at how she looked with it on.

"What are you doing, silly?" he laughed and tapped her nose with his finger.

She just laughed and said, "I don't know," and stuck her tongue out at him. But then she looked down at the grass like she was thinking about something.

Arnold just stared at her because he couldn't help it. He just loved how she was so natural and didn't even have to try to be attractive.

He noticed when she shifted though and crossed her arms still looking down.

Arnold put both of his hands on her arms trying to get her out of her trance.

"Are you okay, Helga?"

Then she looked up at him but quickly looked down again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just... don't know what to do about the team..."

"Well what do you want to do?" he asked.

"I don't know..." she knew exactly what she wanted to do but didn't want to say it out loud.

"You can tell me," he said looking at her but she still wouldn't look up at him.

"I... I don't want to go back. They just... piss me off." Now she was looking to the side but still refused to look at him.

He remained quiet and let her talk when she was ready.

"They just think beating other teams in a dumb game is so important, more important than real life situations. Like what you have is real and we have to deal with it. That is what is important in life and that's what happens in life. Not kicking a dumb ball around."

He knew she was done talking about it, but he didn't want to respond on her words right away. He moved his hands down to take both of her hands in his. He rubbed them gently trying to provide comfort.

After a while though he said, "I think you're really mature, Helga. More than your coaches and teammates. It's like you already figured everything out."

"Yeah, I did. I feel like everything is so easy to get now. Like I went through a time where soccer was my whole life too and that was all that mattered. But once I started to do other things and high school started, it made me realize that sports isn't the only important thing. I think it was weird for me at first to realize it wasn't the only thing, but now I'm just sick of it. And it disgusts me to think I was once like them. But now, I understand..."

Arnold just looked at her. He looked at this whole situation. He was sitting with this beautiful girl in front of him who was sitting criss-cross applesauce in a dress, on a hill in the middle of nowhere, wearing a blazer and bow tie, talking about her concepts of life.

He couldn't help the laugh that came out of his mouth, and also couldn't stop the sudden giggle attack.

That's when she finally looked up at him.

"What's so funn-" she was cut off by a kiss from Arnold. He wrapped both of his arms around her and smiled into their kiss. He kissed her passionately for a long time. Finally he pulled out and she had a confused expression on her face because he was still laughing.

"I don't get it..."

"Helga, look at us. Look at where we are, what you're wearing, and what we're talking about," he said still laughing.

She did a double take and looked at the situation. Then they were both laughing together. It was a blissful moment for the both of them.

When they came down from their laughing high, Arnold found himself never wanting to leave.

"What would happen if we slept here and never went back?" he asked her.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure we would be in so much trouble," she said.

It was 9:30. "Well we should probably start heading down now so we can get home before curfew," he said.

"Yeah, good idea," Helga said, secretly not wanting to leave either.

They got up and started walking down the hill. Helga took the bow tie off to give back to him.

"No, you keep it. So you can always remember this night," he said to her with a smile.

She smiled, muttered a thanks, and they continued down the path to the car. Arnold drove them back this time since he actually knew where they were going.

They didn't really say much on the way back because both of them were reflecting on everything that happened, and they were both tired.

After the semi-long ride, they arrived at Helga's house at 10:22. Arnold looked over and saw Helga fast asleep next to him.

He chuckled and got out of the car. He went to her side to unbuckle her seat belt and lifted her out of the car, carrying her bridal style.

She immediately curled into his chest at his close contact. He smiled and carried her up her stoop.

He hit the doorbell with his hip and waited until Bob came to open the door.

When he saw Arnold carrying Helga, he had a weird look on his face.

"Um, hi Mr. Pataki," Arnold said giving a polite smile. "Helga sort of fell asleep on the way back and I didn't want to wake her up."

Bob looked down at her, then back up at Arnold again.

"Well, I guess you should carry her upstairs then."

Arnold didn't think her dad would let him, but Arnold was more than happy to set her down in her room.

He walked up slowly, careful not to wake her, and Bob went back in his trophy room to watch TV.

Arnold got to her room and set her on the bed. He took her shoes and belt off, but left his jacket and her hair, because he didn't really know what to do with it.

He pulled the covers back from under her, careful not to wake her, and pulled them back over her. He found another blanket that was hung over the frame at the end of her bed and put that over her as well.

Then he took a second to look over her and to take the scene in. He honestly couldn't have asked for a better first date with Helga. The best thing about it though, was that nothing was planned except for the dinner and the park. But he thought going to the hill was the best part and they didn't even plan that part. It was so unexpected and he loved it.

Now he sat on the side of her bed looking down at her and brushing his hand over her forehead and hair. He decided he should leave soon so Bob wouldn't think they were doing anything bad.

He got up off the bed and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead, then another on her lips gingerly. "Good night, beautiful," he whispered.

He looked at her for another moment, but then he heard footsteps on the stairs. He wasn't sure if they were going up or down, but he exited the room, carefully shutting the door.

Once he reached the bottom, he saw Bob waiting around the corner of the stairs.

"So are you and Helga dating or something?" Bob asked.

Well, this was always an awkward but necessary conversation to have.

"Um, yeah actually," Arnold said. "I asked her to be my girlfriend tonight," he smiled remembering.

"So you like her, right?" Bob asked crossing his arms.

"Oh, of course, sir. I think Helga's really amazing and special. I like her a lot."

Arnold felt the need to elaborate since simple words couldn't describe how he truly felt.

"I think... she's been through a lot and she deserves to be cared for and appreciated."

Bob's hard expression immediately softened and he uncrossed his arms.

"Well thanks kid, that's good to hear. What was your name again?"

Arnold smiled and extended his hand, "Arnold. Arnold Robinson," he said and Bob returned the handshake.

"Oh, are you the son of those doctors who came back all those years ago?"

"Yup, those are my parents," he said all smiley and proud.

"Well that's good you have them back," Bob said.

"Yeah, it's been a lot better and easier," Arnold said, leaving an awkward silence.

"Well, I should head home now. It was nice to talk to you, Mr. Pataki. Good night," Arnold said, shaking his hand once more and heading towards the door.

Bob walked him out.

"Good night. Drive home safe, Arnold," Bob said.

"Thanks," Arnold said with a friendly smile.

Bob closed the door and instead of Arnold walking down the steps, he felt a wave of happiness and just, jumped! He was now at the bottom of the stairs and it probably looked weirder than he felt it was, so he walked to his car quickly and opened the car to get in and drive home.


	11. Chapter 11: Confrontation

Chapter 11

The next day at school, Helga walked in with a smile on her face, still feeling elated from last night. She was wearing blue skinny jeans, a blue sweater, and black vans. She curled the ends of her hair loosely so they flowed behind her.

She was at her locker when she felt a warm arm wrap around her stomach. The contact scared her for a second, but the churn in her stomach turned to butterflies when she turned around and saw Arnold smiling down at her.

"Hi," he said with his right hand on her left side and his left behind his back.

He pulled her toward him and gave her a sweet kiss.

"Hi," she said smiling as well.

Arnold was wearing blue jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a black jacket with a lot of those zippers and buttons on it that no one ever uses.

She noticed he was trying to hide whatever it was behind his back, so she put her hands on his biceps.

"What are you hiding?" she said looking up at him.

He smiled down at her, "I got you something." He pulled out a plate with foil over it from behind his back.

Helga knew it had to be some sort of goodies. Her face immediately lit up which made Arnold happy.

"What are they?" she asked excitedly taking the plate from his hands and looking at it.

"They're brownies. For my girl," he said reaching out to take her chin in his hand so he could look at her.

Helga felt a shiver when he did that but she managed to settle it down so she wouldn't look like a freak.

"Thank you," she said going on her tippy toes to give him a peck on the lips.

She turned around to put the plate in her locker and when she shut it and turned back around, she saw an unpleasant site.

Haley and her group of friends were walking by Helga and Arnold, giving her a despising look. Arnold couldn't see them since his back was facing them, but when he saw the sudden mood change on Helga's face, he turned around to see what the problem was.

He saw the girls give Helga a dirty look as they were walking by. It was weird because none of them said anything, but the silence from them seemed to speak louder than anything they could have said out loud.

Arnold turned back around to see a hard look on Helga's face still looking at them, but once they passed by, her face went soft and she looked down at her shoes.

He immediately took her in his arms trying to hug. She tried to resist him at first but he wouldn't have that. So he took her in his arms, successfully this time, and hugged her amorously and did that thing where they swing back and forth from left to right.

He whispered in her ear, "Who cares what they think. You have more valuable things than them. They just have the stupid things."

She didn't say anything but her head was still buried beneath his arms.

"And you have me," he said.

That caused her to take a deep breath and get herself together. She wiped her face with her hands.

_Just let it go,_ she still covered her face with her hands.

_They suck, just let it go..._

She took another deep breath and came out smiling. She always had to remind herself of the good things she had in life in order to let the stupid stuff go. She knew if she always let the small stuff get to her, she wouldn't be happy. And who doesn't like being happy?

Arnold smiled at her smile and the bell rang. He walked her to class and he put his arm around her shoulders as they walked.

They talked and laughed about aimless stuff on the way.

When they arrived at the entrance, she turned and looked up at him with her big, blue eyes.

"Well, see you later," she said sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

He just laughed, "See ya," and leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek and walked to his class.

When she walked in her class, she let out a loving sigh and swooned a little. Then she realized she was in class, with people, and they all stared at her weirdly so she took her seat quickly.

...

Helga decided she would tell her parents after school. Miriam came home late last night from visiting her mom.

Miriam still didn't have a job, but she got out of her smoothie phase when both her and Bob had to pay more attention to Helga, transferring her to games and practices. She also turned out to be really understanding.

Helga opened the door and came in the kitchen where she found her mom cooking something.

"Hey, mom," Helga said.

"Hi, honey," Miriam said.

"How was Grandma?" Helga asked.

"Oh she was fine, it's just good to help out once in a while," Miriam said.

"Yeah that's good."

"Aren't you supposed to be at practice?" Miriam asked since Helga usually never came home this early.

"Well that's what I need to talk to you about..."

"What happened?" Miriam asked getting something out of the fridge.

Helga didn't know how to start, so she just started.

"Well you know my friend Arnold from elementary school? Well he has this rare heart disease that's pretty serious. So he came to my game on Saturday and-"

"Oh did you guys beat St, Mary's?"

"Let me finish. So at the game, Arnold passed out and it was this big scene, so I went up to the bleachers and when the ambulance came, I went with him and sort of ditched the game. Then they got all mad at me because I left. Then I thought, they all got mad at me because I value my friend's safety over sports. Then I decided I'm not going back," she finished.

Miriam had to think and let it all sink in, "You quit?"

"Yeah. Are you mad?"

"No. I trust your opinions and if you think it's the best, then I trust your judgment."

Helga let out a breath of relief, "Thanks. What do you think Dad will say?"

"I don't know. He probably won't like it at first but he'll get over it."

"I hope..." Helga said nervously.

"So Dad tells me you're dating Arnold now?" Miriam asked.

Helga's face got kind of red, but she remained calm on the outside.

"Oh, yeah. He just asked me yesterday," she said all smooth.

"Remember when you had all those little shrines of him I had to clean out? And now you guys are dating. Aww, that's like a dream come true for you," Miriam said and giggled.

"Mom..."

"Sorry I just can't help it," Miriam laughed more.

"I'm going to go upstairs and start my homework."

"Okay, honey."

When Helga got up to her room, she texted Arnold.

**Helga: **One down, one to go...

...

Helga planned in her head already what she was going to say to Bob. Now all she could do was enwreathe in the long awaited dread of him to arrive home.

He finally did arrive though, but she let him get settled in his chair first. She went downstairs to the trophy room and approached her dad, taking a deep breath.

"Hey, Dad," she said.

"Hey, Helga."

"How was work?" she was trying to start him off easy.

"It was okay. I'm just tired."

"Oh yeah, I bet. You work really hard all the time," she said trying to flatter him.

He looked over at her knowing something was up.

"Why aren't you in your clothes?" he asked.

She hesitated before saying, "Well that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

He remained silent, not wanting to hear what he knew she was about to say.

His quietness frightened Helga.

"I decided I'm not going to play with them anymore." Still silence.

"It's just that they take it so seriously and I really just want to get on with my life already." That was pretty much all she had to say so she just sat there in the silence waiting for him to say something.

He obviously wasn't going to say anything so she got up to go upstairs again.

"Sit down," he said firmly.

Now she was scared. He just took a deep breath, trying not to lash out and keep his anger under control.

"You have so much talent, Helga. Why do you want to just throw it all away?" She knew he was mad even when he tried not to be.

"Dad, who cares? It's just a game. I want to do things that actually matter. How is kicking a ball around going to help me get far in life?"

"You could play in college."

"I don't want to. Bob, I'm sick of soccer! I'm sick of the practices everyday, I'm sick of the pressure, and I'm sick of everything! I hate it all. I want more time to myself, and I don't even want to do anything with sports anymore."

"Then what the fuck are you going to do in life?"

Helga stood up and looked him in the eye, "I'm going to be a writer. I admit, soccer taught me a lot, but it also taught me that I don't want this either."

"Writers don't make shit, Helga. This is all because of your new boyfriend isn't it?"

She gave him the stink eye, "Actually yeah, it is. He helped me get out of my trance that sports is everything, and he's going to help me figure stuff out in life in the future too," she said.

"And maybe if you got your _head_ out of your _ass_ you would see that soccer isn't my only talent," and with that she walked out of the room without another word from her or Bob.

She got to her room and laid down on her bed. She felt like crying, but no tears wanted to come out. She didn't want to talk to anyone so she just curled up on her bed and fell asleep...

...

Helga woke up in the middle of the night with a startle and sat up in her bed rather suddenly.

She put her hand on the side trying to find her phone on the side table.

She saw it was 11:27 and she had three new messages and three missed calls. All from Arnold. It touched her that he cared so much, but she really didn't feel like talking about it right away.

**Arnold: ** So how did it go with your dad?

**Arnold: **Are you okay?

**Arnold: **Helga...

All the calls were from him as well. She highly doubted he was still awake, but she texted him anyway so he could read it in the morning.

**Helga: **I'm fine. I just went to bed early.

She set her phone down on the table again, not expecting him to reply and settled back in bed.

However, the phone vibrated and the light went off and she snapped her eyes open.

**Arnold: **I was worried sick about you. I couldn't sleep.

**Helga: **I'm sorry. I just wanted to sleep

**Arnold: **How did it go?

**Helga: ** He'll get over it. He just needs time

**Arnold: **Did he yell?

**Helga: **Notreally just a little. But I don't really care anymore so whatever.

**Arnold: **Well I'm glad you're okay.

**Helga: **Go to bed :P

**Arnold:** You go to bed silly :P

**Helga: **Haha I am. Good night :)

**Arnold: **Good night lovely 3

She loved when Arnold put the heart. But she really needed to sleep so she settled back down and quickly fell asleep.

**A/N: Hey sorry it took me a little longer. So I think after this chapter, I'm just going to skip to Valentine's Day because I want to get some points across there, and then after I'm going to start with their life after high school. We've read many stories about their high school lives and the real stuff starts after high school anyway so yeah. I have a lot in mind for the upcoming chapters and it means a lot to me to everyone who has read this and reviewed :) **


	12. Chapter 12: Valentine's Day

Chapter 12

**Sorry this took me forever, I just wanted to make it the best it could be. Hope you enjoy :)**

As January came to a close, new arrivals and beginnings came for the start of February. It's a month of more sunshine, more winds, and love.

Helga came to school normally. She was wearing a pink dress that fit her perfectly instead of the big one she wore when she was younger, a white cardigan, and red Toms. Her bangs were braided and her hair was curled: the way she wore her hair on her and Arnold's first date.

She went to her locker instinctively, just like every morning.

She was happy today because she knew it was going to be a good day. She and Arnold had planned a dinner out tonight and to hang out at Arnold's after.

She was glad she could finally meet his family formally and get to know them better.

She was getting her book out of her locker when she felt someone behind her and turned around to be met with a smiling Arnold. She smiled at him.

He was wearing a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, gray jeans, a nice watch, and all black shoes. She loved when he dressed up fancy because she thinks he looks hot when he does.

"Hi," she said looking up at him.

"Hey, Happy Valentine's Day," he said smiling and he gave her a bouquet of half red, half white roses because he didn't know which ones she liked best.

Her face lit up at the sight of them and she grabbed them with one hand and pulled Arnold in for a hug with the other.

"Thanks, Happy Valentine's Day," she said.

Arnold just smiled at her and put both of his arms around her. They both leaned in at the same time for a deep, loving kiss. He only broke the kiss to give her a tight hug and swing her from side to side.

She laughed because she loved when he showed her so much care.

He let go of her for a second to get something out of his backpack.

"I made you something," he said getting it out of his pack.

He pulled out a quesadilla in a plastic bag, but in the shape of a heart. He knew Helga loved Mexican food and she got really happy when she saw it.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you!" she said grabbing the bag and remembering to give him a hug before she devoured the quesadilla.

He just laughed, "I knew you liked Mexican food but geez, save some love for me," he joked.

She looked up at him with the thing half in her mouth already.

He laughed even harder because he loved how she never cared how she looked and she wasn't afraid to be herself.

She just smiled into her bite and put the rest in the bag to save for later.

"You're so cute," he said looking at her with a half-lidded gaze.

"Holy crap this was so exciting, I almost forgot I got you something!" Helga said excitedly taking her backpack off.

She had it in her hand but didn't reveal it yet.

She looked at him. "Close your eyes."

He did.

"Hold out both of your hands."

He did.

She placed it in his hands and he opened his eyes.

It was a tiny, white teddy bear that was holding a heart-shaped balloon that said, 'Happy Valentine's Day' on it.

Arnold smiled widely. He didn't know why he loved it so much, but he guessed that it was that cliché saying that the little things mean more than the big things.

"Aww, I love it. Thank you," he said giving her a peck on the lips.

She smiled.

"So are you excited for today?" Arnold asked as she put the flowers in her locker.

"Heck yeah! It's going to be so fun," she said excitedly.

He smiled and looked over her. He reached out to play with one of the blonde curls hanging down her shoulder.

"You're so pretty, Helga."

She smiled lightly and reached out to play with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"I like when you dress fancy."

They were both left in a content silence until the bell rang, breaking them out of each other's trances.

Arnold walked Helga to her first class and dropped her off with a hug and a kiss.

He trotted away excited for the plans for the day.

...

Today, Arnold actually drove to school so he could take both him and Helga back to his house instead of having them walk. He thought it was romantic.

Arnold usually walks to and from school because it's easier with the traffic, but today was a special day.

After school, Arnold and Helga met up and walked hand in hand toward the parking lot, talking about their days.

When they arrived at the Mustang, Arnold opened the door for Helga, on got in on the driver's side.

"I hope you don't mind, we have to pick up my little brother," he said looking over at her.

"That's fine. I'm looking forward to meeting your family," she said with a smile.

He smiled back and started the car.

"Have you been to P.S. 118 since we went there?"

She thought for a moment. Seeing that school again would cause her a lot of bittersweet feelings. That was where she spent a lot of her time thinking and dreaming about a better future, but it was something she finally had after her share of suffering.

She silently smiled, "No."

He pulled up to the front of their old elementary school and they saw Edward with his normal group of friends.

He saw Arnold's car and started to say goodbye to his friends. But then they saw Sam, the girl with the big green eyes, catch his arm and they talked away from their friends.

Sam pulled out a Hershey's bar and offered it to Edward while saying a few words.

Edward just looked down at the chocolate bar then looked back up at her. A bright smile formed on his face and he almost jumped on her to give her a hug.

Edward said some words to her and both Helga and Arnold couldn't help but smile at the sweet sight.

Edward started walking toward the car and Arnold got out of the car so Edward could get in the back seat.

They both got settled and Arnold said, "Edward, this is my girlfriend, Helga," turning around in his seat.

She turned around in her seat too and gave him a smile, "Hi, nice to meet you," she said politely.

"Hey, finally we meet. Arnold talks about you all the time. We can't shut him up sometimes," he said nonchalantly.

She just laughed, "Oh really? Like what does he say?"

Arnold just sunk back in his chair, not enjoying this conversation.

"Just a bunch of mushy stuff and what he likes about you and you're pretty and stuff," he said putting his seat belt on.

She looked over at Arnold who was obviously blushing but looking down, trying to hide his face.

She turned back around in her seat to face forward. "That's cute," she said smiling and laughing.

"Ugh," he said turning on the car.

He pulled away from the curb and started their route back to the boarding house.

"So I saw you hug that girl," Arnold said to Edward, trying to get the subject off of him.

"Yeah she got me a chocolate bar! I was happy," he said with a lovesick grin.

Arnold and Helga laughed, "We could tell," he said.

"Was she your Valentine?" Arnold asked Edward.

"I guess. Wait what does being someone's Valentine mean?"

Arnold smiled and let his right hand drop from the wheel, open-palmed on Helga's left leg. She put her hand in his and they held hands with fingers intertwined.

"Being someone's Valentine means you treat the other with love and you both make the other person feel special and you get to spend the whole day with them showing them how much they mean to you," he said giving Helga's hand a squeeze.

Edward looked at their hands and realized, "Are you guys each other's Valentines?"

They both smiled. "Yup," Arnold said, "and I got the best Valentine out of all of them," he said and glanced over at Helga to give her a wink.

She laughed, "Oh please, don't make him throw up," she said.

And as if right on cue Edward said, "Ewww, gross."

"Psh you won't think it's gross when you get to high school," Arnold said jokingly.

"Yeah that's what they all say," Edward said and laughed.

They arrived at the boarding house and Arnold parked the car in the garage.

"Don't get out yet," Arnold said to Helga.

Arnold got out of his seat so Edward could get out of the back. Arnold walked around the front of the car and opened Helga's door to let her out. He took her hand and brought her up from the car.

"You know, usually I would just get out myself, but I know you're trying to be romantic, so I guess I'll let it slide today," Helga said and stuck her tongue out at him.

Arnold chuckled. Edward already went inside, so, still holding her hand, he brought her close to him with his other hand around the small of her back and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips.

He pressed down hard on her lips so she had to arch her back.

For the most part, Helga was pretty innocent when it came to relationships and she wasn't really used to Arnold being so firm.

She broke away from the kiss suddenly, not sure how to react. They both looked into each other's eyes with surprise.

"I'm sorry," Arnold said.

She knew it was just because he liked her, not because he was trying to take advantage of her.

"It's okay, let's go inside," she said.

Arnold led her into the house where everyone was either sitting on the couch in the living room or in the kitchen.

Arnold was still holding her hand when they approached the group.

There were Miles, Ernie, Grandpa, Mr. Kokoschka, and Edward all on the couch.

"Hey you guys, this is my girlfriend, Helga," he said to them.

Miles was the first to stand up. Helga thought he was just going to give her a handshake, but instead he gave her a hug.

"It's so nice to meet you! Arnold talks about you so much," he said.

Helga just laughed, "Yeah I heard," she glanced over at Edward. "It's nice to meet you."

Arnold came over closer to her, putting his left hand around her waist and using his right hand to gesture.

She noticed he was being really touchy and it was making her feel a little uncomfortable in front of everyone, but she hid her emotions.

"Helga, this is Mr. Potts and Mr. Kokoschka who are some of the boarders who live here."

Ernie stood up to shake her hand, "Nice to meet you, you can call me Ernie."

She just returned the handshake, "Nice to meet you too."

Mr. Kokoschka was still sitting on the couch though.

"Hey, how's it going." Then he looked over at Grandpa, "When's dinner ready?"

"Don't be so rude, Oskar yeesh!" Grandpa stood up though and shook her hand, "Don't mind him, he's a lazy bum. But I'm Arnold's grandpa. Hey haven't I seen you before?"

Helga was going to answer but Arnold cut her off, "She went to my same elementary school so you probably remember her from there."

Helga hated to admit it, but she was getting annoyed with Arnold.

"Ohh, that's right, you were the one with the pink dress and the piggy tails and the one eyebrow! Well what can I say, you turned out to be a real gem," Grandpa said with a friendly wink.

"Aw, thanks," she smiled. Then to the whole group she said, "It was really nice to meet all of you."

"We're glad we finally met you!" said Miles. "Will you two be joining us for dinner?"

"No, we have other plans," Arnold said.

"All right well you two are always welcome to join us! And after dinner we're all going out for a walk to the docks just so you know," Miles said.

"All right sounds good," Arnold said trying to hide his excitement that they might be there alone tonight.

"Well I'm going to show her upstairs then we'll head out for dinner," said Arnold.

He led her up the stairs and to his room in the attic. Everything had remained the same in there since childhood.

"So this is my room," he said smiling.

Helga was still a little annoyed with his forwardness, but she tried to settle it down for now.

"Your skylight is cool," she said looking up at it but with no emotion on her face.

"Yeah it's nice to look up at it."

Helga went to sit down on the flip out couch looking at everything in the room.

Arnold sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

She didn't mean to be rude, but she couldn't help but recoil at it and take his arm off her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She sighed, "I don't know, I just thought you were being really touchy and controlling in front of your family and it made me feel uncomfortable."

He looked at her but she was looking down, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way."

"It just feels weird in front of adults, and your family no less. I guess I'm just not used to it."

"Well it's funny because all my life, I just wanted someone to hold on to and to care for because my parents weren't here. I guess that's why I like to care for you. I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable and I'm sorry. I just want you to feel loved, but if you want me to not touch you as much, I won't. Whatever you want, okay?"

Helga was still looking down. "It's not that I don't want you to not touch me ever, just at the appropriate times. And you know like in the garage, I'm not comfortable with taking it that far either. I mean, I like you a lot, but I'd rather just show it other ways, you know. It's not anything about you, I'm just not comfortable with it."

"I understand, and I'm sorry." He hesitated before he put his hand lightly over hers, not sure if that was okay or not.

She didn't take her hand back so he relaxed a little.

"So are we good?" he asked looking over at her.

She finally looked back at him and smiled which gave Arnold butterflies, "Yeah we're good."

"Good. And whenever I do something you don't like, don't be afraid to tell me. I always want you to feel comfortable," he said.

"Thanks," she said. She forgave him but she was still feeling uneasy.

It was about 5 o'clock.

"Do you want to go to dinner now? I'm sure it will take a while with everyone else wanting to go out," he asked.

"Sure," she said.

They headed downstairs and said bye to everyone and got in the car. The ride was mostly silent with only the music doing the talking.

They went to a restaurant that was by the water and it was outdoors. Their table was on grass and there was a man playing the piano outside.

"This place is nice," Helga said admiring it.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled.

After they finished, Arnold had an idea.

"Helga, do you want to dance?"

She looked at him surprised for a second, then looked over where there were some other couples dancing slowly to the music.

"Well, I don't really know how to..."

"Anyone can dance. C'mon," he said getting up and reaching his hand out to her. She took it and they went on the dance floor.

It was rocky at first, but then they both finally got into the rhythm.

Arnold still felt like he was walking around thin ice with Helga, because he didn't want to do anything that would upset her again. His body was stiff and she noticed.

She squeezed his shoulder with her hand trying to relax him, "Shh, it's okay," she whispered.

She was tired of the negative feelings in between them and just wanted them to have a good time now.

She gave him a small smile, and he returned it.

"Sorry, I just don't want to upset you anymore."

"I know, but it's okay. I just want us to be normal again," she said.

"Me too," he said.

They both smiled at each other and Helga leaned forward to give him a light kiss. He kissed her back gently and she put her head on his chest while they continued to dance slowly.

...

When they got home, everyone else had already left so they were home alone. It was only about 8 o'clock though.

"Wanna go upstairs?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

When they got to his room again, he had an idea.

"Helga, want to go on the roof?"

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea," she smiled.

"All right I'll get the blankets," he said touching her chin and getting some out of his closet.

Helga climbed the ladder up while he was getting the blankets and looked at the scene.

There weren't many cars out but all the lights created a purplish glow from the horizon. It was hard to see all the stars, but there were still a few that were visible.

Arnold came up the ladder holding a bundle of blankets.

He put two down on the ground on top of each other for more cushion, and he had another to place on top of them.

He laid down on the two blankets and she looked down at him.

He patted the spot next to her smiling, gesturing for her to join him.

She rolled her eyes sarcastically and laid down with him. He made sure they were both covered with the blanket, then he put his arms around her as she cuddled into his chest.

"You smell good," she said.

He sniffed her hair playfully, "So do you."

They both laughed.

"Looking at the stars is one of my favorite things," she said.

"I've never really done it before, but I'm glad that you showed me," he said kissing her forehead.

Helga was still looking up at the sky, but Arnold couldn't take his eyes off her.

He didn't know what came over him, but he was suddenly on top of her leaning down to give her a kiss.

Helga tried to talk in between the kisses, "Arnold... Arno... Ar..."

It seemed they were getting lost in each other and they couldn't stop. Her hands were in his hair, his hands were on her hips, their lips were clashing against each other.

Without thinking, Arnold hips instinctively thrusted against hers, and that's when she shot her eyes open, needing to stop this now.

She pushed his shoulders off him, not happy with the situation.

He was panting a little, "Helga, I'm so sorry..." He tried to reach out for her but she moved away.

She didn't say anything, but she just got up, heading for the window to get out of there.

It only took Arnold about five seconds to get up and realize he couldn't let her go.

"Helga, stop," he said grabbing her arm.

She tried to shake it loose, but his grip on her was firm.

"Helga, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said on the brink of tears.

She turned her body away from him, "I just told you I wasn't comfortable with that stuff, and you just did it anyway. I thought you respected me."

"Helga, I do. I'm sorry, I'm just a guy we can't help it. I didn't mean to, it was just instinct."

She didn't say anything for a while, but then she said, "Yeah guys can't help it, but a gentleman could."

She still tried to get her arm out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go.

"And I'm not going to do it before I get married. So if that's what you want from me, then go look for it from someone else."

"No. That's not what I want from you. I like you for you and your personality, and your compassion, and even your fiery attitude. I don't know what it is lately, but I can't help myself around you anymore! I just... I don't know. Helga, I think..."

That's when she finally looked over at him.

"Helga, I love you," he said looking directly in her eyes.

She couldn't say anything. She couldn't think anything else than the words he just said.

_Helga, I love you..._

She thought she was dreaming because this didn't seem real.

He slid his hand down from her arm to hold her hand.

"Now would be a good time to say something," he said softly and slowly.

She continued to only look at his eyes.

She saw beneath the outside of his irises. She saw the once, hopeful boy now broken on the inside, but strong on the outside.

She saw a man on the inside fearing for his life, but never complaining to anyone about it.

She saw his hope grabbed, and taken from him, even though he pleaded for it to stay.

But then she saw hope restored in him. She saw a light in him again that hasn't been there for many years.

She saw herself on the inside of his eyes, as well as on the outside, in the reflection of them.

She saw it.

She was his reason for being happy. She saw that she gave him hope again.

She was his angel.

She squeezed his hand and pulled him into a hug.

"I'll never leave you," she whispered in his ear.

She knew he was crying behind her shoulder, placing his head on it.

She was crying too, because she finally saw all the hurt beneath him that he tried to hide all these years when he was diagnosed.

It hurt her that he was hurt, and she wanted to repair all the break inside of him.

"I'll be right here, okay?" she said pulling back to look in his eyes and push his hair back.

"Forever?" he asked like a little boy.

She smiled with tears going down her cheek.

"Forever."


	13. Chapter 13: Lucky 13

Chapter 13

**This chapter will be taking place after high school because this is where the real journey begins. And there's sexual content in this chapter so if you're too young, don't look!**

Helga took off the first year of high school to spend more time with Arnold. He wanted her to chase after her own dreams, but she assured him she would rather be with him.

"Helga, are you sure you want to do this? I don't want to tie you down."

"I already told you, I'm sure," she said putting some clothes in a suitcase.

"But you have to leave home and everyone else," he said.

She stopped packing and took his hand and looked into his eyes.

"You are my home and everything I need."

After that first Valentine's Day together, she saw that almost everything she did for her future would have to be for _their_ future. She wasn't going to leave the boy she always had strong feelings for in his one time of need.

They both got jobs because even though they could both live off each other's love, some money would be nice too.

The first year after high school, they did what they both always wanted to do: travel.

It wasn't recommended by Arnold's doctors, but he wasn't going to wait for anything bad to happen. He wanted to at least go out and make the most out of his life.

Helga's parents were opposed to her going off to different countries with a boy, but she left anyway. She couldn't stay in her nest her whole life. Even though she was thankful for all they did for her, she wanted to go out and see and do things by herself.

In the summer after graduation, they went to the UK visiting England and Ireland. They saw all of London and many other famous attractions.

In October for Arnold's birthday, they visited San Lorenzo and stayed with Eduardo, who was happy to see them.

They were able to see all the temples, mountains, and waterfalls that Arnold's parents were once and where they fell in love.

During winter, they spent their time in Australia by the coast because it was summer weather there and beautiful.

Arnold gave them a few scares with passing out, but they weren't serious.

In the middle of February, they took their last trip to France before they would go back home.

They toured around the whole country, and on Helga's birthday, Arnold took her to Paris, and got them a hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower. This would be their last day in France and they were to head home the next afternoon.

That night, they were both on the balcony, leaning over the rail looking at the city and the stars.

"Helga," he started softly.

She continued to look ahead but she was listening.

Arnold put his arm around her shoulders.

"Helga, can you look at me?" he asked.

She turned her body towards him giving him a soft smile.

He put his other hand on her cheek, and she reached up to hold it.

"This past year with you has been amazing. Honestly, out of everyone in the world, I'm glad I got to share this with you."

She laughed, "This has been fun for me too. I'm glad we went."

She was going to turn to look back over at the scene but he brought her back to look at him.

"No, this isn't just about the trip, it's about us. I feel like we've bonded more from it only being us. I mean, it's different at school with our friends and family around us. But with just us, I feel like... we're our own family."

She just looked at him because she didn't know what to say.

"And it's made me think lately..."

He took the arm around her back and reached in his jacket pocket for something while holding her hand with his other hand.

Oh, she knew what that was. It was a little black, velvet box.

He got on his knee and looked up at her.

Her heart was beating so fast, and so was Arnold's.

"Helga Geraldine Pataki, will you marry me?"

They both just stared at each other for a moment. She didn't know if this was real or not, but when his hand squeezed around hers, she was brought back to real life and she knew it was real.

She smiled with her teeth and almost yelled, "Yes! Yes." She had tears of happiness in her eyes.

He got up and picked her up, swinging her around in a circle even though the balcony was a limited space.

"I love you. I love you so much," he said into her hair. He kissed her all over her face.

She laughed. "I love you too. I always have."

He finally set her down to slide the ring on her finger.

"Perfect fit," he said.

She was looking down at the diamond and smiling. Arnold tilted her chin up at him and kissed her lovingly.

She put both arms around his neck and he wrapped both of his arms around her lower back, holding her close to him.

When they broke away, she put her head on his shoulder and his face was near her neck.

"I promise, I will be the best husband to you ever," he said.

"I know," she said with fresh tears. "I know you will."

He hugged her tighter but she pushed back a little to look him in the eyes and she placed her hand on his chest, specifically on his heart.

"I'll always be here," she said patting him on his heart. "And I won't give up on us. Because you're worth it."

Arnold couldn't help the tears that were threatening to come out of his eyes. He smiled at her.

"You know, it's funny thinking about us in elementary school, and where we are now."

She smiled at the memories. "I know. I was only mean to you because I guess I kind of liked you..." she said sarcastically.

She already told him of her secret obsession of him when they were young and he thought it was cute.

They looked at each other with something special gleaming in their eyes tonight.

Suddenly, he picked her up and she giggled and playfully told him to stop.

He brought her inside and laid her down on the bed. He laid down on top of her and started to kiss her heavily.

He knew he was taking it far, but he just proposed and he was feeling like the man of the hour. He hoped she wouldn't mind by now anyway, since they were betrothed.

She knew he was getting riled up fast, but she felt riled up too from everything that happened today.

His hand went to rub up and down her thigh. His other hand was at her neck.

Her hand was on his hip and the other was in his hair.

They were both getting frisky and into it.

Arnold couldn't help the moans that were coming out of his mouth.

Helga was breathing a little harder, especially when Arnold moved his hand to the area right underneath her belly button.

Normally she would have stopped this, but she didn't want this to stop.

Since she didn't take his hand off, he saw that as a sign of her approval.

Their mouths were still clashing against each other and Arnold positioned himself so he was on top of her fully.

Helga was playing with the bottom of his shirt, trying to get it off him. He realized what she was trying to do and helped her get it off without breaking their kissing.

Helga took a peak at his torso and dang, he had a nice body. He was tan for some reason, probably from Australia, and his muscles were protruding from his skin.

She finally saw the necklace Arnold always hid under his shirt. She always saw the chain around his neck, but she never asked what was underneath because she didn't want to be in his business.

But she finally saw it. It was a silver, metal circle with a bird carved out in the middle, and around the edges in the circle it said, 'Together the possibilities are endless.'

Now Arnold wanted her shirt off and gave her the same signs she gave him. In her head, she was a little self-conscious, but she remembered Arnold loved her and he wouldn't care how she looked.

She helped him get it off and he smiled into their kiss.

He broke away from her lips to kiss her neck, and he went down to kiss her chest and the top of her breast.

Her hand was in his hair as he kissed her, but when he got to the top of her breasts, he looked up at her, as if asking if this was okay.

She gave him a nod, because she knew that no one else would be the one to touch her like this, and she didn't want anyone else to be where Arnold was right now.

He smiled and kissed her on the nose and put his hands around her back to unclasp her bra.

He slid it off her slowly, knowing this wasn't comfortable for her, and honestly he didn't know how to act either since he's never seen another woman's body parts.

He couldn't help but stare them. He didn't mean to make her feel weird, but he just never saw them before.

He heard her make a sigh, and he looked at her.

"You're beautiful, Helga," he said leaning up to kiss her on the lips.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he said smiling.

She smiled too. "I love you," she said.

He looked down at her stomach and rubbed his index finger up and down it. He didn't say anything, but he hoped one day his kids would be in there.

"You make me feel..." he started. "You make me feel like anything can happen. Like the sky isn't even the limit."

She reached out to his necklace.

"You mean like this?" she said referring to the necklace.

He looked down at it and smiled at her.

"I never showed anyone that before," he said.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. It was just a personal thing and I thought people would think I'm a sap if I wore it out in the open."

"Well you already are a sap," she joked at him.

"I know," he laughed.

She still played with it in her fingers.

"Arnold," she said. He looked at her.

"I want you to make love to me."

They've talked about it before. Helga said she didn't want to do it until marriage, but she figured they were already getting married anyway and Arnold was the only one she wanted to do it with.

Of course Arnold wanted to do it with her. He wanted her to know how much she was loved and he wanted to make her feel good, like how she makes him feel everyday.

"Are you sure?" he asked making sure this was what she really wanted.

She nodded. "I'm sure."

Then she added jokingly, "We're already half naked anyway."

He laughed and leaned forward again and gave her kisses. He put his left hand on her right breast and his other at her waist band of her jeans.

She didn't mean to, but her hands went on his butt. She thought that was funny.

Arnold slowly unbuttoned and zipped her pants off making sure she still was okay with this.

She didn't object, so he continued with taking her pants off. She helped him get them off.

He put his hand gently on the outside of her panties, feeling her core getting hot.

She gasped when his hand touched her area.

"I'm sorry," he said taking his hand away, looking at her.

"No, that felt good," she said guiding his hand back to her area.

He smirked at her and kissed at her neck and chest again.

He began to rub up and down on the outside of her panties again. She leaned back and let a mumble of something come out of her mouth.

He went a little faster and her legs opened up more, wanting more.

Her hands outstretched to grasp at the sheets around her and her head was back against the pillows.

Arnold liked making Helga feel like this. His stiffness was getting unbearable, so he took of his jeans to let it feel a little more loose.

He stopped rubbing her and hovered over her to look at her face.

"Are you okay, Angel?" he asked with his hands on her forearms.

She gave him a nod, still trying to take in what just happened.

"Are you ready now?" he asked her gently.

She nodded again, trying to get herself together.

"I'll go slow, okay? Don't worry."

Arnold had never done it before either, but he sort of already knew how it worked.

He got a condom out he already placed in the drawer of the bed stand and undid the wrapper.

"We'll be safe, okay?" he said.

"Okay," she finally responded to him verbally.

He took of her panties slowly and she didn't say anything. Her head was still back on the pillows, just waiting for it.

He took his boxers off, getting ready.

"Wait," she said and sat up to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Can you... hold my hands?" she asked.

He smiled. "Of course," and kissed her forehead.

She laid back again and he put the condom on.

He hovered over her and grabbed both of her hands with their fingers intertwined on either side of Helga's head.

He slowly entered her, and the pain finally hit Helga. She knew it wouldn't be easy at first, but she tried to keep her from screaming out loud.

He looked at her the whole time. He knew it must have hurt and he felt bad, but that's why he tried to go slowly.

Helga couldn't help it, tears started to come out of her eyes.

"No, don't cry. I'm sorry," he said kissing her cheeks where the tears were.

"Don't stop," she said. She knew they were going to have to get over the first time anyway.

He slowly began to go in and out, and she kept her whimpers to herself.

"I'm sorry," he kept saying.

"I love you," she kept saying.

About ten minutes went by, and it was finally starting to feel good to Helga.

"You can.. go faster.." she said between breaths.

Arnold was breathing hard too and he did as she said.

He still went slowly, but he picked up the pace a little, because he wanted her for love, not lust.

He felt he was going to reach his climax soon, and he released into the condom.

They both let out their breaths and he rolled off her, taking it off and putting it in the trash can. He laid next to her, and they both were catching their breaths.

"I'm tired," she said.

"Psh, all you had to do was lay there," he said smiling over at her.

She laughed, "I know."

The engaged couple got under the covers and went to sleep.

**I've never done it before, so I don't really know how it's supposed to happen but I hope that was good enough. Sorry I grazed over the countries, I just wanted to get to the point. So the next chapter will be the wedding. Yay! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Wedding

Chapter 14

The next day, Helga and Arnold were on the airplane on their way home. They were both elated from being engaged and their great trip together.

"So, did you have a good birthday?" Arnold asked looking over at her and putting his hand over hers.

Helga got the window seat on the right side of the plane, so he was playing with the ring on her finger. Some business man was sleeping next to Arnold.

Helga smiled. "It was the best birthday ever," she said leaning over to give him a kiss on the lips.

He smiled at her happiness.

"What do you want to do about the wedding?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "Well, I don't really want a big, fancy wedding, I just want it to get the job done."

"Yeah, me too. Do you think you want it sooner or later?" he asked.

"Well all of our friends are still in school, so maybe we should wait until summer," she said.

"Yeah, that's true. I just can't wait to marry you," he said with a lovesick grin, kissing her on the cheek.

She smiled. "Calm down, lover boy. There's still a lot of stuff we need to figure out, like a place to live, your condition, jobs, incomes, and, I don't know, a family..."

"I know. I really want to make this work," he said.

"Well we need to start planning then. We didn't even go to college..."

"I'm sure we can live in the boarding house until we figure out everything."

"I know, but I feel like we're behind. Everyone went on to school and they must have at least some ideas of what they're going to do." She slumped back in her chair, finally realizing that maybe they don't have it all.

Arnold knew she was upset and feeling stressed.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry. We'll figure it out. I promise," he said leaning over to put his arms around her and giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

She didn't mean to, but she pushed him off her. She knew she always thought of situations as worse than they really were, so she just needed to calm down mentally in her head.

"Dammit," she cursed under her breath and closed her eyes.

He just let her be for now because one of the things he learned on this trip was that sometimes, Helga just needed her space and time to think.

They sat in silence for about twenty minutes.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

"I know. It's okay," he said offering her a smile.

She smiled back.

"Just remember," he said, "Together the possibilities are endless," and winked at her.

That got a laugh out of her. "I know... I love you," she said looking over at him.

He smiled, "I know," and kissed her.

She reached over to hold his hand.

"I'm so lucky to have you. Honestly," she said.

He smiled but gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"Most people don't like to put up with me when I get all crazy. But you don't mind or get mad."

"When am I ever mad?" he joked.

She laughed. "I know. Thanks."

"You're cute," he said looking at her.

"Shut up," she said sticking her tongue out at him.

...

**Summer**

July 7, their luckiest day (7/07), arrived quicker than they imagined. It was a warm, summer day with the birds chirping and the sound of kids' laughter outside.

Arnold was in his room of the chapel getting ready.

"Hey man," Gerald said coming in.

"Hey," Arnold said giving his long-time best friend a hug and they did their signature handshake.

"You nervous?" Gerald asked.

"No, I'm excited. I can't wait to be married, man."

Gerald chuckled a little, "You don't hear that from many eighteen year olds."

"Well, this is different. I guess you could say I'm not like many eighteen year olds," he said straightening his bow tie in the mirror.

"I know. I wish you guys the best," Gerald said patting Arnold on the back.

Arnold turned to Gerald and saw he had tears in his eyes.

Arnold gave him another bro hug.

"We're always going to be best friends, Gerald. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me," Arnold said.

"I love you, man," Gerald said.

"I love you too," Arnold said.

They both pulled apart and looked at each other before breaking out into laughter.

"I'm glad no one saw that," Gerald said.

"Seriously," Arnold said laughing.

...

Helga was in her room surrounded by women. She already had her dress on and Phoebe and Olga were doing the last finishing touches on her hair and make-up while Miriam was there for support.

"This stuff is so gross," Helga said referring to the make-up.

"You look so pretty with it though! I wish you would wear it more," said Olga.

"Yeah, that's just what they would want me to do," Helga said sarcastically.

"Oh Helga, you're such a silly," Olga said.

"Pff. I don't want to go out there," said Helga.

"This is so exciting though!" said Phoebe. "I can't believe my best friend is getting married," she said while fixing some curls on her hair.

Helga didn't want to get all emotional with girls because girls cry and she wasn't a crier.

"I know," she just said.

Bob came through the door.

"Ready girls? It's time," he said.

"Ready."

...

Overall, the wedding was beautiful. They were married in a church even though Helga's preference would have been on their hill, but then it wouldn't be _their_ hill anymore.

Afterwards, they had the wedding reception inside the boarding house with food, music, and people!

Everyone was either eating, talking, or dancing.

Miles stood up from their table and asked everyone for their attention.

Eventually everyone got to a spot before he spoke.

"First off, thank you everyone for coming. We're glad to share this special day for us with all of you."

Helga and Arnold were sitting at the same table as Miles, Stella, Miriam, and Bob.

"Well son," he said looking at Arnold, "your mom and I are very proud of you. You never gave up, and now you have a beautiful life and wife."

Arnold took Helga's hand in his as Miles talked.

Now Stella stood up next to Miles.

"And we have something to present to you..." Miles said taking a big manila envelope out from the inside of his coat pocket.

Arnold stood up to receive the envelope and Helga stood up shortly after him.

Arnold opened the envelope and couldn't believe it. Helga also gasped when she saw what it was over his shoulder.

"It's... it's a house," Arnold said stunned.

Arnold couldn't believe it. He stepped forward to give his dad a big hug, and Helga hugged Stella.

"Thank you," Arnold said to his dad into their hug.

Soon enough, they were all hugging, crying, and laughing.

After, Helga and Arnold got to go around to everyone and spend time with some of their old friends from school.

They all got to catch up and share good times together.

That night, Helga spent the night at the boarding house and they said the next day they would start moving some things into their new house.

**...**

**A/N: Hello, I just want to apologize because I know, this story has sucked. It's my first story and I realize it is really bad. It's unrealistic and has no thrillers and it's stupid. I'm going to have a lot of time skips in the next chapters but there will probably only be about two more chapters, maybe one. I'm sorry if you have not enjoyed this story so much because honestly, I didn't either. But I want to thank everyone who has stuck with it this far and read every chapter even if they didn't leave a review. I'm going to try to do better next chapter. Thanks!**


	15. Chapter 15: New Rhythms

Chapter 15

**A/N: I just want to thank the people who have given me support and still like this story. I am much more satisfied with this chapter and I hope you guys like it too!**

Arnold and Helga spent a beautiful summer together. They shared more love than some people experience in a lifetime.

Arnold's faints had been becoming more frequent, however, and more dangerous.

He would have to stay in the hospital, sometimes overnight, and Helga stayed with him always.

Today was September 17th.

Helga was upstairs ready to put her pajamas on for the night. She was finally going to the University about thirty minutes away from their house, but she continued to live at home with Arnold.

Before Helga got in her pajamas though, she went into the bathroom after two minutes and looked at the test she just took.

"Helga? Honey?" she heard Arnold call out from downstairs.

She heard him but took her time to go downstairs.

"What is it?" she said coming down the stairs.

She saw Arnold struggling to breath.

"Shit," she said running to him helping him lie down on the carpet in the living room. Arnold immediately passed out while Helga called 911.

"Hello? I need paramedics immediately. My husband just passed out," she said into the phone.

Honestly, she couldn't do anything while she cradled his head and tried to sing to him.

The ambulance came and they immediately tried doing CPR. Helga was in the back of the ambulance also, hating this place.

They couldn't seem to get him back. He kept coming back for a second, but then leaving then next.

Helga had to wait outside as they took him into a room once they reached the hospital.

She knew she should have been calling his parents or her parents right then, but she couldn't help but worry. She didn't want to worry everyone else either if he was going to be fine later. He had to be fine. He always was...

She looked into the room through the window, biting her finger nails.

All of the resuscitations were failing, she knew it. She could see it.

She couldn't take this anymore.

She bolted inside the room, not caring what anyone else was saying, and ran right to Arnold, her love.

"Arnold," she said grabbing his hand and on her knees.

Tears were forming in her eyes and they were suddenly pouring down her face.

"Arnold, I love you," she said through sobs. She placed his hand on her stomach.

"We both love you..." and she gently placed their last kiss on his lips.

**10 years later...**

Harrison woke up with the sleepies in his eyes. The first thing he saw was the sun shining through the window. He got out of bed with a smile. He didn't know why, he was always just naturally happy.

"Hayden! Get up!" Harrison yelled to his brother and threw his pillow at him.

Hayden just grumbled and shifted his position so his back was facing his brother.

"I'm going to tickle you!" Harrison said jumping on his brother's bed.

"Get off," Hayden said pushing his brother off.

"No! I'm older so I'm the boss," Harrison said.

"Yeah, by like three minutes. Calm down, princess," Hayden said.

Harrison laughed and ruffled his little brother's blonde hair.

"I'm still going to tickle you," Harrison said tickling his brother.

Hayden yelled and they both ended up on the ground, making a loud noise.

"Hey, what are you guys doing in there?" they heard their mom's strong voice from the outside of the door.

"Nothing, Mom!" they said in unison.

She laughed, her boys were always getting into something.

"Get dressed, I'm making breakfast," she said through the door.

"Yay!" Harrison said getting off Hayden.

"Ugh," Hayden grunted. "Why are you always so happy?"

"Why are you always so grumpy?" Harrison asked and flashed him a smile.

"Shut up," he said throwing the pillow at Harrison.

Hayden went to the bathroom while Harrison got dressed. That was their daily routine every morning so they could each have their own space.

Harrison opened his walk in closet and looked for some jeans to wear and found a white t-shirt that had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on it. He liked white because it made his ocean-blue eyes stand out.

After changing, he opened the second to last drawer of his dresser and pulled out what he looked at every morning.

It was a picture of his mother and father laughing together.

Harrison sat criss-crossed applesauce on the carpet and stared at the picture. A few tears came out of his eyes, like they did every morning.

He never wanted anyone else to know that he cried, which is why he locked himself in the closet every morning. He figured it's okay to mourn a little in the morning, then embrace it and be happy the rest of the day.

Even though Harrison and Hayden fight almost every morning, one morning Hayden had walked in on Harrison crying at the picture, and had admitted that it hurt him too. They cried together on the floor that morning without speaking about it to anyone else, not even their mother.

"I love you, Dad," Harrison said placing the picture gently back in its drawer.

He wiped his eyes and stood up smiling.

He went to the bathroom while Hayden changed in the room and they both went downstairs for breakfast.

"Yay, pancakes! I love Wednesdays!" said Harrison.

Helga laughed, "I know you do," she said placing down two plates with pancakes.

"Thanks, Mom," Harrison said smiling.

"Thanks," Hayden said with his head down but dug into his pancakes.

Helga smiled at her younger son and gave him a kiss on the head.

"How come he always gets more attention?" Harrison asked and pouted.

"Because he doesn't want any," Helga said and kissed Harrison on the head as well.

Behind Helga's back Hayden stuck his tongue out at Harrison playfully and smiled, which was a rarity.

"So you guys know I'm going to my meeting this afternoon," Helga said to them.

"Yup, who's going to pick us up?" Harrison asked while eating.

"Olga, and she'll make dinner for you guys here."

"I love her dinners!" Harrison said excitedly.

Helga laughed, "I know."

After they finished their breakfast and went upstairs to brush their teeth, Hayden was the first one to come down.

It pained Helga to see her son so unhappy at some times. She knew it was just his personality, but she wanted to see him smile and be happy.

"So how's school going?" Helga asked.

"Fine."

"Oh, do you like your teachers?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She didn't really know what to say, but he continued talking.

"I don't like some of the kids though," said Hayden.

"Why not?"

"They're mean and like to pick on me because I'm quiet," he said.

She tried looking in his eyes but he didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the ground.

Instead of talking, she bent down and brought him in to a hug. He didn't hug back though, he just stood with his arms at his sides.

"You're strong Hayden. I couldn't imagine what it's like for you to go through, but we can always look at the positives in life. I know it's not easy, but that's what makes you strong. You're able to go through with this, and I'm so proud of you," Helga said on the verge of tears.

Then Hayden did something he has never done before. He hugged her back and she felt his tears on her shoulder.

"I miss him, Mommy," he said.

"I know, I miss him too. But he still loves you and Harrison, no matter what. And I love you too," she said hugging him tighter.

She pulled back to wipe the tears from his bright green eyes and she smiled.

"You know, you look just like him," Helga said.

Hayden smiled.

...

Helga finished her four years of college with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. It was not easy trying to deal with school, her two boys, and heart break, but with the help of her family and friends, she was able to accomplish her goal of graduating from college.

Helga started out college as a Creative Writing major, but she changed her mind after Arnold passed away. She decided that writing was a hobby to her, and she didn't want to ruin something she loved by making a job out of it.

That's when she decided to become a business major when she found out how much accountants made and realized she would need to provide for two kids.

She ended up loving business. She could negotiate with people easily and talk them into anything. Also, accounting, she found, was very logical, and she guessed she must have been a logical person then.

She was able to get a job recently as an accountant for a small business in their town. It was simple enough since they just opened, and she got paid good money since she went to University.

Every Wednesday, Helga went to a group where they just talked about their feelings. It was like an AA meeting, but these people weren't in alcohol or drugs, they all just needed someone and something to keep them going.

At first she totally resisted the idea of going and spilling her feelings out to a bunch of strangers, but she decided to go to one, and it turned into another, and another, and before she knew it, she was actually participating in the conversations.

Actually, that is where Helga met her two closest friends: Jacob and Cain.

Phoebe would always be her friend, but Phoebe decided to move far off to some really good school to become a doctor. They would always be close, but it was nice for Helga to get close to people in her town as well.

Usually on Wednesday mornings, Helga would run some errands for whatever they needed. Today, however, she took a different trip.

She got in the car, and took a drive over to her old city.

When she got to her destination and knocked on the door, she waited for the usual animals to come running out the door as it opened.

"Helga! It's so nice to see you!" Stella said as she opened her arms to give Helga a hug.

"I miss you guys," Helga said smiling.

"Come in, come in," Stella said shutting the door behind Helga.

They both went to sit on the couch.

"So tell me, how have you been?" Stella asked.

"It's been okay, can't complain. I just got hired to manage a new business in town."

"Oh that's great! We're all happy for you," Stella said.

"So how are those two little boys?" Stella asked with a chuckle.

Of course Harrison and Hayden had got to meet and hang out with their grandparents, but it had been a while since they made a trip back to Hillwood.

Helga laughed, "They're good. Harrison is a ray of sunshine. I know Hayden is too, he just doesn't want anyone to know." Helga could definitely relate to him.

"Oh they are so cute. I know Arnold would have been so proud of them."

The sudden mention of Arnold made a tiny sting in Helga's heart.

"I know he watches out for them. He looks out for all of us," Helga said.

"I know, honey," Stella said taking Helga's hands. "Honestly, we don't know how you've been so strong throughout this whole thing."

Helga took a pause before she said, "Arnold's love is... like the wind. I can't see it, but I can feel it. This whole time I have been able to feel it. That's what keeps me going."

Stella had tears down her eyes as she hugged Helga.

They pulled apart and Helga said, "I'm sorry he never got his miracle..."

Stella paused and looked deep into Helga's eyes and smiled.

"He did. _You _were his miracle."

Helga didn't know what to say. She couldn't help the tears that she didn't realize she was holding in. She sobbed. She hadn't cried in a long time because she didn't have the time, and she thought she was doing fine. Sometimes she forgot it was okay to cry once in a while.

...

Helga had to get back to her town for her meeting. Helga got out of the car and walked over to their group. They sat outside on the grass and were able to talk about any issues they had and it was encouraged to give feedback and support.

The cool thing about these groups were that everyone had a story.

She saw Jacob who motioned over for her to come sit next to him.

He stood up to give her a friendly hug and a warm smile and they sat back down together.

Jacob was as surfer, and he fit the typical stereotype quite well. The tips of his light brown hair were golden and he had blue-gray eyes. He was quite tall and skinny, and his skin was brown from surfing and swimming.

Jacob had been a top CIF swimmer in high school, but decided he wouldn't swim in college to stay local with his girlfriend at the time.

She was going to the local community college and she pleaded for Jacob to stay as well so they could stay together. Since they were "in love" he stayed at the junior college for her.

However, he found she had been sleeping around with other guys and going out to night clubs to take home strangers.

It hurt Jacob more than anything because he lost his opportunity to be a major swimmer for her, and she stabbed him in the back.

Helga couldn't understand why or how anyone could do that to a guy like Jacob. He was so sweet and funny. She admired him because he never showed any bad attitude.

"Where's Cain?" Helga asked.

"I don't know, he probably had some important meeting today," he said.

_Typical,_ she thought.

Cain was an Italian guy with olive skin, black curly hair, and deep brown eyes. Cain has been on the road to recovery since he joined the Mafia. Cain saw and experienced things no one should, and he was scarred for life.

Cain was a quiet soul, but he had many stories within him that were sometimes difficult to dig out. She found he was a very down-to-earth person though, and always compassionate towards his loved ones.

Cain had been understanding when she told him her story. He knew what it was like to have someone you love deeply be taken from you. It had happened to him many times in his business.

Helga listened to his stories too and tried to help him out in any way she could.

"So how are you?" Helga asked.

"I'm doing good! Just getting by a day at a time," said Jacob.

"That's true," said Helga.

"How are your boys?" Jacob said with a smile. He got to visit them a couple of times and they all bonded so well.

Helga just let out a huff.

"They're good I guess. It's not easy, but it's gotten better. Hayden still will barely smile though."

"He's a funny little guy," said Jacob.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He's quiet, but then he says something really sarcastic that's funny," Jacob said laughing.

Helga laughed too, "Yeah he's a silly one. He seems more happy when you're there though..." she said as if she just realized that.

"No, I'm sure he's happy he just doesn't want to show it," said Jacob.

"I know. It's tough sometimes..."

Jacob just patted her on the back.

"Hey, want to come over tonight for dinner? My sister's coming and she'll cook for us," Helga asked.

"Yeah that sounds good actually," he smiled at her.

For all she knew, Jacob lived alone. She wasn't sure if that meant in an apartment, house, or his car. She never asked because she felt that wasn't her business and it was a personal thing anyway.

"Hey guys," Cain said approaching them.

"Finally you show up, geez," Helga said. She got up to give him a hug and Jacob and Cain did one of those bro-shakes.

"I had a thing," Cain said with little emotion on his face.

"Want to come over for dinner tonight? My sister's cooking and Jacob's coming," Helga asked.

"We'll see, I might have some business tonight," said Cain.

Helga frowned. She hoped it wasn't something with his old group because those guys are dangerous.

"Well you're still welcome to come," said Helga.

...

Their session ends at around 5, so Helga and Jacob walked into the house at around 5:45.

"Uncle Jacob!" both Harrison and Hayden yelled when they walked in.

Jacob picked up both of them with one in each arm and they both giggled. It was nice to see them all get along.

"Hey boys," she said ruffling each of their heads. "I'm going to go in the kitchen to see what's cooking."

"Wait! Mom," Hayden said getting down from Jacob's grasp and running over to her.

"What is it, sweetie?" Helga asked.

"I love you too," he said giving her a hug.

Helga was taken by surprised and she didn't really know what just happened. She looked up at Jacob who was smiling. She put her arms around her son and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

He pulled back and gave her a smile that melted her heart.

Hayden ran back to play with Jacob and Harrison and Helga walked to the kitchen.

"Hey," Helga said.

"Hey! How are you?" said Olga putting the food in the oven.

"Good. What did you make?" Helga asked.

"Some Sheppard's Pie," Olga said.

"Oh, that's sounds good. And Jacob's here too so you know."

"Oh great! There's enough for everyone," said Olga.

Helga was about to walk out of the kitchen again, but she stopped.

"And thanks for making dinner and watching them," Helga said.

She saw her sister about to cry which was really irritating, but you can't change her.

"Aww I'm happy to help you," Olga said giving her sister a hug.

Helga just sighed and hugged her back.

...

After dinner, Olga had to leave to see her own kids, and Jacob and Helga were busy cleaning up while Harrison and Hayden got ready for bed.

"Thanks for inviting me, Helgs," Jacob said handing her a plate to dry.

"No problem Jakes, they love when you come over," she said.

"So do you have a place to stay tonight?" she asked cautiously.

He paused and stuttered a bit.

"Uhh... y-yeah I got a place. Thanks for asking," he smiled.

"No seriously, Jakes. You can tell me."

He just sighed and handed her another plate.

"I don't know about tonight..."

"You know you're always welcome to stay here," said Helga.

"I can't ask that of you. I don't want to impose on your fam-"

"You're not imposing. And I want to know that one of my closest friends is safe. Will you please just stay here?"

He sighed outwardly before replying.

"Okay. Thank you, Helga. It means a lot to me," he said smiling at her.

"Don't worry about it," she said as she put away the last plate.

"You can take the guest room downstairs. Just let me know if you need anything," she said.

"Wait, Helga," Jacob said.

He just pulled her in to a warm hug. They had hugged before but this time was different for some reason. She almost forgot how it felt to be hugged like this.

She sighed into his chest.

"Helga, I just want you to know... I care about you. And it hurts me when you hurt. I just wish I could..." he trailed off. "I just wish I could mend all the scars."

"Jakes..." this almost felt wrong to her. She felt like Arnold was looking down on her right now with his heart breaking. She still wore her ring because she considered herself still married, and she still went by Mrs. Robinson.

"Do you think we could... try?"

She knew what he meant but she really couldn't.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we both went through heartbreak, and maybe we need each other to put back all the pieces."

She really didn't know.

"I have to think about it," she said honestly.

"All right," he said letting go of her.

"Good night," she said.

"Goodnight," and he kissed her on the forehead.

She went upstairs to dwell on her thoughts and get into bed.

_I can't be with Jacob. I still have Arnold..._

"Shit," she said before getting in bed.


	16. Chapter 16: Answers

Chapter 16

Helga was fiddling with her necklace in the morning. It was Arnold's old necklace that she never took off.

She really didn't know what to tell Jacob but she knew she couldn't be with him.

She would admit that he was great and it would be nice for Harrison and Hayden to have a father figure, but he wasn't their real dad and she just couldn't.

"Oh Arnold, you're the only one for me," she said quietly to the ceiling.

She got dressed in her room, checked on her boys, then went downstairs. She got an email last night that she had to go out to the restaurant this morning.

She was getting something for them to eat when Jacob came in the kitchen.

"Morning," he said as he smiled.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks for letting me crash again," he said.

"No problem. So what are you going to do today?"

"Not sure, maybe the waves will be nice today," he said.

"Yeah that'd be fun. I have to go early today but you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thanks. So, did you think about what I said last night?" he asked scratching the back of his neck.

She paused before she said anything.

"Jacob... you're a really great guy and all but, I'm not sure we would work. I mean, I love hanging out with you and Cain and I love having you as a friend to me and my kids. But I don't think being together would really be the best idea." She let the words hang in the air as they both stood in silence.

"I understand. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I just... I don't know," he trailed off.

"I know you just want someone to love, but I don't think I'm that one. It would be unfair to both of us if we didn't even truly love each other," she said.

"Yeah I get it..." he said looking down.

She touched his arm.

"Don't worry though. You're a great guy and you'll find her one day," she said smiling up at him.

"Thanks, Helgs. You're a great friend," he said.

She just laughed and felt the cloud of guilt over her head suddenly disappear.

...

"Yeah and he thought we should get together," Helga said on the phone to Cain.

"You don't want to?" Cain asked.

"It's not that, it's just that..." she took a pause. "Well you know what happened and I still kind of consider myself married."

"Yeah I get that," he said.

There was a pause between them.

"He was the love of my life, Cain. Since we were kids."

He took an outward sigh.

"I know. It's all right to tell him no, you know."

"I know. I just felt bad because he looked sad and I know he hasn't had anyone in a while."

Cain murmured something that she couldn't hear. She heard another person's voice in the background.

"I think... I think he's just... confused..." Cain said like he was having trouble coming up with the right words.

She didn't know what was up with him.

"Yeah, I suppose. So what have you been up to this week?" Helga asked.

"Uh... nothing really. Just trying to find work."

She hated how he never expanded.

"Oh, really? Did you find any places?"

"Not really. It seems no one wants an ex-Mafia guy working at their stores who was kicked out for being gay," he said out loud too bluntly.

"Cain, you know that doesn't matter..."

"It does to society."

"Fuck society."

"I know," he laughed.

"Come over some time, we miss you," said Helga.

Cain just laughed. "All right, Helga."

...

It's been two weeks since the Wednesday Jacob came over. Things were back to normal with them and today she would be seeing him at their meeting.

"Hey, Helga," Jacob said as she came over.

"Hey! How are you?" she said.

"Good. Have you talked to Cain lately?" he asked.

"No, but I'm sure he's fine. He's been busy lately. Said he's looking for a job or something."

"Oh..." he said.

...

"HELGA, WHAT THE FUCK," she heard the first thing she answered her call from Cain.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"FUCKING JACOB."

"What happened?" She didn't know why he was so frazzled.

"HE FUCKING CAME ON TO ME."

"What? You're kidding..." she said.

"No! He called me and asked if I was busy and I said no so we met at this coffee place and he said he wanted to 'maybe try something between us.' And I was like what the fuck!?"

"Well what's wrong with Jacob? He's a good guy..." she said.

"Helga... dammit I'm coming over to talk."

"Front door's open."

...

He came over around eight at night while Helga was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen.

Harrison and Hayden were playing with Legos in the living room when Cain came in the door.

"Cain!" they said together and ran over to give him a hug.

"Hey, guys," he said nonchalantly.

Helga came in to the room.

"Can you boys go play upstairs in your room, please?" she asked them.

"Why?" Harrison pouted.

"I have to talk to Cain alone right now. It's just for a little," she said.

"Fine," Harrison said while Hayden picked up his toys and followed his brother upstairs.

"We should sit down," Cain said.

Helga didn't know what he was about to say. They both sat on the couch and Cain took a deep breath in. His black hair seemed disheveled from him running his hands through it. He had bags under his eyes and he seemed stressed.

"Helga, I have to tell you something. I don't know if we'll still be friends after this or not, but either way, the truth needs to come out."

She just remained quiet and stared at him. He finally looked up at her.

"First off, I'm not gay. I never was. I had to pretend."

"Why?"

"It's a long story so I'll start from the beginning," he said ruffling his hair again.

"I was really in the Mafia. It was the worst experience ever. I wanted out. I knew one of your friends. Sid, I think his name was."

_Sid? What the hell? How did he know Cain? _she thought.

"He came and wanted to join our group, but he didn't make the cut. I got to know him, though. I helped him when he needed to keep up and I told him some things about me. I told him how he was making a mistake and this was the worst fucking place in the world and I would do anything to be in his place where he could still get out. So he went home."

"Wait, so how did you even get stuck in one of those groups?"

"It was a tradition in my family. My dad and older brother were in the same group I was. But after they were both killed, I found no reason to be there anymore"

"My mom had ran away to I don't know where, so I was basically alone. I was thinking of taking my own life, but something held me back..."

"Anyway, so I guess Sid went home and told your friends what he had been through, including Arnold."

Helga's two brows furred together at the mention of him and she looked down at her hands.

"Arnold heard about me. A strong, tough guy who wanted out of one of the most brutal jobs out there. We met up. He told me about his condition and how you guys just got married and you were most likely pregnant. He told me... he wanted me to protect you and your kid if anything were to happen to him."

Helga was so confused and angry right then. Arnold thought she couldn't make it on her own? He thought she needed protection from the Mafia? What the hell?

"He said he would pay me, but I had to get out first, so I pretended to be gay. I had to try to get all touchy with some of the guys. I hated it, but I wanted to leave that place. Once they found out what I was doing, they beat me, and kicked me out. That may have been one of the most brutal beatings in my life. I recovered physically though, but they all said I should be ashamed, and my father would be ashamed. They all spit on me, kicked some dirt on me, and left me to die"

"Arnold found me though. I don't know fucking how, but he found me. He must have knew it wouldn't have been pretty. He took me to the emergency room and had his parents work on me. He said they were the best doctors around or something"

"I didn't care at all what they said though. I know I did it to protect myself, and I was doing it for a better reason: to help people. I don't know why I was stuck there. Those people are not my people. I was just the good guy made bad."

Helga sat there, trying to process everything.

"So, let me get this straight. You hated the Mafia, Arnold wanted protection for me, you pretended to be gay, got kicked out of the Mafia, then after he died, you were supposed to show up and protect me?"

"Pretty much. Except everyone still thinks I'm gay because that shit went on my records."

She was still trying to let the new information sink in.

"I seriously don't know what to feel... or say..." she said.

She put her head in her hands. She didn't want to cry in front of Cain.

He put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's not what you think though. At first, yes, it was a job. But I got to know you and Harrison and Hayden, and it turned out to be not a job anymore. I really like you all and I'm glad I was sent to you guys. If it wasn't for you or Arnold, I would still be in hell. I might have even killed myself."

She looked up at him, and then she lost it.

She bawled hard that night. Cain comforted her in the best way he could. She felt hurt. Even though she was broken on the inside, she tried to cover it up. Knowing that Arnold cared about her so much that he hired a man from the Mafia to protect her meant the world to her. And it hurt even more because she knew he wasn't here anymore.

It hurt because he risked his life asking a stranger that could snap his neck to watch out for his family. It hurt because the person who cared about her most had to leave. It felt reassuring to her though that she was able to provide him with happiness before he passed on. The one thing she learned from him was to love.

She learned that it's okay to accept other people who are different than you and let them into your life. She learned that the best attitude is a positive attitude. The most important thing she learned from him though, was that even if things get tough and seem unbearable, life will go on, and legacies are left in our world. The things that we do in this world will be carried on, even when we aren't here.

Even if our bodies aren't present, our soul's journey never stops.

**Sorry this took me longer than I expected. I just realized I have developed senioritis and all I want to do is sleep. It also took me a while to figure out how I wanted to form this chapter. Just so you know, I have nothing against gay people. My closest friends have two moms and they are wonderful people.**

**Also, Jacob and Cain are two of my closest friends in real life and I wanted to include them in this story so they are based off real people. Jacob **_**is**_** a surfer with a whore-girlfriend and Cain **_**is**_** bad ass enough to be in the Mafia.**

**This is basically it, but I will post an epilogue after this chapter. Hope you enjoyed this and please comment what you think :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Epilogue

Epilogue

A lot of time has gone by since Helga's meeting with Cain.

It's been six years and now Harrison and Hayden are fifteen years old.

They have grown up a lot, and it hurts for Helga to even look at them since they look so much like Arnold.

They have both grown and they are starting to finally get their own looks, because when they were younger, it was hard to tell them apart.

Before, the only thing that was noticeable to tell them apart was their eye color, but now Hayden's hair had recently been growing brown roots, but Harrison's hair remained blonde.

Harrison blossomed in high school and he tried out for the football team. Hayden was shy at first, but in his second year of high school, he tried out for drama because he loved to dance as a way to express himself.

Jacob hasn't really been around since what happened with Cain. Helga felt bad, really, but she learned not to get close with people, so she assumed that it's not her problem. Helga only has her kids and other family and that's all she needs to worry about and take care of. Helga is a stronger woman than she has ever been before.

Everything has been rather the same, except one phone call that changed their lives.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Mrs. Robinson?"

"Yes, who's calling?"

"Hi, I'm Mary Scott from the Hillwood Community Hospital. Our doctors would like to talk to you personally."

"For what?" Helga was confused.

"It's about your husband, Mrs. Robinson."

Helga let out a breath of air.

"All right."

...

Helga went to the hospital and she was directed into a room with one of the specialist doctors.

"Hello, Mrs. Robinson. Please, take a seat," said the doctor.

She did. "So what's this all about?" she asked crossing her arms.

"Well, first off, I'm Dr. Carter, and this is about your husband, Arnold."

He talked in a calming voice. He looked about in his fifties with white hair already. He was a little chubby and wore glasses and a big white coat.

Helga didn't talk, she just sat and waited.

"You see, before he... passed on, he signed these papers," he said pulling papers out of an envelope and handing them to Helga.

She took them and looked at them.

"They're papers saying that he gives us permission to dissect his body in order to try and find a cure for his horrid disease."

Helga looked up at the doctor.

"So...?"

"Well Mrs. Robinson," he took off his glasses and offered her a smile. "We found a cure, and we are now able to save thousands of lives each year."

Helga couldn't believe they found a cure. It seemed unreal to her.

"A real cure?" she asked.

He chuckled a little. "Yes. And since Mr. Robinson is no longer here, all of the money he would have received is in your name."

Helga never even thought about the money before. She only wanted them to get rid of the disease and find a cure, and it seems so unreal that they finally did.

Helga swallowed. "H-how much?"

Dr. Carter folded his hands on the table before he spoke.

"26.8 million dollars."

She couldn't believe it. Helga didn't even know what to do with that much money. She felt bad accepting that much, but the doctor insisted.

Helga went home that day and sat down her kids to tell them the news. She told them how the cure that their dad had was now curable and that their dad was a hero for giving up his body to help others.

Harrison cried and Hayden kept a straight face the whole time but patted his brother on the back.

That night, Helga found it difficult to sleep. She kept tossing and turning in her bed, not able to fall asleep.

Her door cracked open.

"Mommy?" her 9-year-old son said opening the door.

"What is it Harrison?" she asked sitting up in bed.

"Um.." he looked down holding his blanket. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

She smiled at his innocent tone and puppy-dog eyes.

"Of course, sweetie. Come up here."

Harrison climbed up in the bed and snuggled into his mom.

The door opened again though.

"I want to sleep with Mommy too," said Hayden not waiting for an invitation and getting on the other side of Helga.

She laughed and they all slept together that night, feeling comforted by each other and another invisible, warm presence in the room.

...

Helga decided to invest the money for college for her boys, give some to family, and buy a new car for all three of them.

Since they are fifteen in present day, they will need to start practicing driving soon so Helga thought it was a good idea.

Helga decided to give three-fourths of the money left to different charities and kept the rest for a rainy day.

After Harrison and Hayden graduated high school and finished college, Helga moved away. She decided to live by the beach. Her sons would visit her, but they have created their own lives. She felt confident in the way that she raised her kids and knew they would turn out great.

Helga loved to go walk on the sand every evening and watch the sun go down.

After everything she had experienced, Helga knew that things in life weren't always going to be perfect. And things didn't have to be perfect, to be okay.

As she was walking along that night, she felt a gush of warm air hit her, and that's when she remembered.

Arnold's love was like the wind. Just because she couldn't see it, didn't mean that she couldn't feel it.

Helga wondered why life turned out the way it did, but she guessed it was one of those things you can't explain.

Helga felt as if all the hard parts were over for her, and now all she had to do was enjoy herself.

She realized that everyone goes through hardships in life, and this is just what happened to be her hardship.

Helga finally felt content with life though, because she was able to make it through this journey.

**Well, that's all. I hope this story showed you that things don't always have to be perfect to be beautiful. Your attitude is what shapes your life.**

**Thanks to everyone who read this, even if you didn't leave a comment.**

**I hope that in the summer I come up with an idea and start a new story but if not, thank you all. Peace! And HAGS lol.**


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